November 10, 2004

UC San Diego's Tech Transfer Office Plays Pivotal Role
In Bringing New Discoveries To Market Over Last Decade

By Dolores Davies

As the Technology Transfer & Intellectual Property Services (TechTIPS) office of the University of California, San Diego reaches the 10-year mark this month, it is being credited with playing a pivotal role in bringing UCSD technologies and discoveries to the local and global marketplace.

Since its inception a decade ago, TechTIPS has generated more than 400 active U.S. patents, over 250 active license agreements, and over 70 start-ups using UCSD technology as the foundation. In addition, it is now estimated that approximately 220 companies have been spun off from UCSD. This includes companies that have been created by UCSD alumni, faculty, and staff.

TechTips, the central clearinghouse for companies and venture capitalists who are interested in licensing UCSD inventions and technologies, celebrated its 10th anniversary and its impressive accomplishments at the UCSD Innovators Showcase held on Nov. 9, co-sponsored by UCSD Chancellor’s Associates and Corporate Relations. The event, attended by more than 200 San Diego entrepreneurs and corporate executives, as well as friends and alumni of UCSD, highlighted the myriad inventions and technologies that have made their way into the marketplace through TechTIPS.

“University-industry partnerships have been critical to UCSD’s success as a generator of innovation and new technologies,” said Marye Anne Fox, chancellor of UCSD. “TechTIPS has played a significant role in this success, which has resulted in major economic, commercial, and healthcare benefits to the San Diego region.”

Some of the most innovative UCSD technologies licensed to San Diego companies over the last few years include the inventions of biology professor Martin Yanofsky. Yanofsky’s research, which is focused on improving crop yields, has resulted in more than 30 invention disclosures and over a dozen patents. His innovations have been licensed by agricultural companies in the U.S, Europe, Australia, and Asia. Dr. Lowell Parsons, a professor in the School of Medicine and an internationally recognized pioneer on the causes and treatment of interstitial cystitis, has developed novel methods for detecting and treating the disease which are now in use throughout the world. The research of Steven Constable, a professor at UCSD’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography, has focused on the electrical conductivity of rocks and minerals, sea-floor instrumentation, satellite electromagnetic studies, and sea-floor electromagnetic studies for petroleum exploration. His work has resulted in a half dozen innovation disclosures; a patent in sea-floor oil exploration has been licensed to a U.S. company.

“The San Diego region is home to more than 400 biotech and medical device companies as well as over 500 high-tech businesses. The life science sector alone employs over 35,000 people with an annual payroll in excess of $2 billion,” said Alan Paau, assistant vice chancellor and director of TechTIPS for UCSD. “The success of these clusters depends on the availability of basic research from institutions like UCSD and the ability to transfer discoveries to our partners in the private sector.”

UCSD TechTIPS manages and markets all new intellectual property developed by faculty members and owned by the university. It also acts as a catalyst for transforming early-stage academic research into marketable products and processes. This property includes inventions, discoveries, technologies, patents, copyrightable works such as computer software and selected trademarks.

For more information about UCSD TechTIPS please visit their website at: http://invent.ucsd.edu

Media Contact: Dolores Davies, (858) 534-5994