AUTM on the Air

We’re diving into the blue economy with a fascinating conversation about ocean innovation and entrepreneurship. The discussion focuses on the practical reality of building ocean-focused companies, including the scientific complexity, regulatory hurdles, funding constraints, and long development timelines that make this sector very different from more familiar startup environments. Our guest is Tam...

In November 2025, Bangkok, Thailand became the epicenter of a global conversation about the future of innovation. Leaders from around the world gathered for the WIPO-AUTM Knowledge and Technology Transfer Summit, creating a rare space for open discussion about what is working, what is strained, and what needs to evolve in the tech transfer profession. With participants representing 27 countries, t...

This is the second episode in our special series on mental health and Tech Transfer. If you missed our first conversation with Jane Wainwright, I encourage you to go back and listen. It’s a candid look at why this topic matters and why it deserves real attention, not to be pushed to the side. Today, we’re continuing that discussion because the pressures inside tech transfer offices haven’t let up...

Every now and then, someone inside a Tech Transfer office tries something small, something meant for their own team, and it ends up resonating far beyond their campus. That’s the path our guest followed, and it’s a great reminder of how ideas in this profession can ripple outward in ways we don’t always expect. My guest today is Chadwig “Chad” Riggs, former marketing associate at St. Jude Children...

There’s a fundamental shift happening in the world of American research universities, and people across higher education are feeling it. Funding that once seemed dependable is now uncertain, and the pressure coming from political and economic changes is hard to overlook. More and more, leaders and researchers are asking tough questions about how the current system can keep up, and what needs to ev...

Mental health is increasingly a focus in Tech Transfer as people try to keep pace with heavy workloads, fast-moving deadlines, and the pressure to make the right call with limited time and information. To bring more attention to what professionals are experiencing, we’re opening a new series on wellbeing and resilience with a conversation featuring today’s guest, Jane Wainwright. This series will...

Few studies have explored the global state of university intellectual property commercialization as deeply as this brief, Unlocking University IP: Global Insights into Commercialization Challenges and Opportunities . In this episode, we take a close look at that landmark UIIN Insights Brief with its lead authors, Dr. Todd Davey and Medisa Focic, to better understand how universities around the wor...

Few people bridge the worlds of engineering, venture capital, and biotech entrepreneurship the way Sam Tetlow does. After early years at General Electric and a successful run in venture capital, Sam founded The Grant Engine out of frustration with a broken system with too many brilliant innovators failing to secure the funding they needed to move lifesaving research forward. What began as a person...

It’s often the connections between people that keep innovation burning bright. My guest today is Joe Runge. He’s spent more than two decades exploring that truth from several angles, including as a practicing patent lawyer, published scientist, educator, and veteran of the innovation economy. Joe holds the rare distinction of being the only student in history to earn both a law degree and a master...

Some people talk about innovation. Others live it. Michael Lyon has built a career that bridges worlds most of us only dream about, from helping launch the first space tourists to diving miles beneath the ocean surface, and now mentoring the next generation of tech entrepreneurs. A Harvard Law graduate with experience spanning government, finance, and frontier industries, Michael has spent over 40...

Fighting blindness requires science, strategy, and a great deal of heart. Today’s guest is Jason Menzo, CEO of the Foundation Fighting Blindness, the world’s largest private funder of retinal disease research. Since assuming the role in 2022, after serving as President and COO, Jason has helped raise nearly a billion dollars and is backing over 100 projects across 86 labs and clinical centers worl...

Not every university has the resources to build and maintain a Tech Transfer office, and for many smaller institutions, that has long meant sitting on the sidelines. In Kentucky, leaders decided to try something different. Instead of each campus building its own program from scratch, they pooled efforts into a single statewide network. That collaboration became Kentucky Commercialization Ventures,...

A proposed shift in U.S. patent policy is sparking debate about the future of intellectual property. The idea on the table is a value-based tax that would replace, or sit on top of, the USPTO’s traditional flat-fee system. Instead of paying predictable maintenance fees, patent owners could face annual charges tied to the assessed value of their inventions. This move would dramatically change how p...

How do discoveries in a university lab make their way into everyday life? That question sits at the heart of AUTM’s Better World Project. When it first launched almost 20 years ago, it was just a small booklet with a handful of stories. Today, it’s grown into a global showcase with more than 600 examples of how technology transfer changes lives. In this episode, we’re taking another look at the pr...

Most people hear the phrase “research misconduct” and think it’s an issue reserved for academia. But the truth is, it can rock the entire innovation ecosystem. One altered image in a dissertation might sound small, but it can snowball into collapsed companies, hundreds of millions in losses, and a deep erosion of trust in science itself. Joining me to dig into this reality is Michael R. Samardzija...

What does it take to safeguard innovation while making sure the patent system truly serves inventors and society? That’s the heart of today’s conversation, and few people are better positioned to answer than Dr. Julie Burke. Today, she brings a unique perspective to the world of intellectual property and patent prosecution. Dr. Burke spent more than two decades in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Off...

Biotechnology law has evolved from a niche specialty into one of the most complex and debated areas of intellectual property, and Dr. Jorge Goldstein has been at the center of that journey. A founding partner of Stern, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox, Jorge has spent more than four decades helping define the legal boundaries of the life sciences while working alongside scientists, startups, and globa...

Federal funding shakeups and new cost caps are hitting Tech Transfer offices from multiple angles. Jodie Richardson, Director of Customer Success at TechPipeline and Chair of AUTM’s Annual Meeting Planning Committee, has been right in the middle of these conversations. With a background in strategic planning, cross-functional leadership, and compliance, she’s been gathering insights from leaders a...

America's leadership in global innovation depends on the critical link between federal policy and scientific funding. Cuts to research budgets, restrictions on international visas, and the rollback of diversity programs are converging to create uncertainty that threaten labs, universities, and communities that depend on them. What happens in the next budget cycle will determine whether the U.S...

The McGill Innovation Fund was created to fill a big gap in early-stage research funding and help promising ideas make the leap from the lab into the real world. In this episode, Senior Communications Advisor Junji Nishihata shares the story of how the fund came about in 2021, just as McGill University was marking its 200th anniversary, and why it’s different from other campus competitions.  Inste...

The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, or WARF, was created 100 years ago. It was a daring idea to turn scientific discoveries into real-world applications. Today marks the 100th anniversary. Since 1925, WARF has played a pioneering role in encouraging innovation, supporting scientific discovery, and ensuring that research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison benefits society. To commemorate...

The blue economy is rapidly evolving. There’s a growing demand for innovation that’s both sustainable and scalable. Leading this work is Millicent Pitts, CEO and Executive Director of Ocean Exchange. Over the last ten years, she has helped the organization identify and support cutting-edge solutions that protect ocean health and strengthen coastal systems. Millicent spent three decades in the chem...

Clarity can come from lived experience, and Dr. Kirk Adams brings that clarity into every conversation about inclusion. After losing his vision at age five, he began a journey that would shape his life, and the lives of countless others. What started as a personal challenge became a lifelong mission to him. He wanted to create a world where people with disabilities are seen, valued, and included....

This month we are honoring the history, achievements, culture, and ongoing advocacy of people with disabilities. This is our third episode celebrating Disability Pride Month. Today, we're privileged to speak with Dr. Jutta Treviranus, a true pioneer in inclusive design. As the director of the Inclusive Design Research Centre (IDRC) at OCAD University in Toronto, Dr. Treviranus has been instrum...

In honor of Disability Pride Month, I'd like to talk about a simple image that's quietly making a big difference around the globe. You might've seen it, a sunflower printed on a lanyard or pinned to someone's jacket, but maybe you weren't exactly sure what it meant. Well, that little sunflower is a lifeline, a subtle sign helping millions of people with invisible disabilities f...