Yes, there is life after bench science -- careers for scientists in technology transfer & business development

Thursday, October 11, 2012 — Poster Session IV
2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.	Natcher Conference Center, Building 45	OD	RSCHSUPP-3

* FARE Award Winner

Author

• SM Ferguson

Abstract

What is technology transfer / business development and what are the career opportunities in the field? What are the skills required and how does one acquire them? How can someone with a chemistry or biology background (rather than legal or business) truly pursue a non-traditional career such as this? These are the questions to be answered in this poster presentation from a former NCI intramural scientist with now 20+ years experience in technology transfer. The field of technology transfer itself is still relatively new and can trace its origins and rapid growth to the economic developments legislation of the early 1980s, a time when the US was looking to enhance its global competitiveness. The need for translating the ideas that have originated from academic labs into useful products (and the people to handle these tasks) is still with us and has only grown since then. The technology transfer profession employs more than 10,000 professionals in the US with a fairly large number in the greater Washington, DC area.

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