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About
MIHR
PIPRA
Fiocruz, Brazil
bioDevelopments- Institute
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CROWELL, W. Mark
W. Mark Crowell is Associate Vice Chancellor for Economic Development and Technology Transfer at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC). Prior to joining UNC, he held similar positions at North Carolina State University and at Duke University. He has extensive experience in technology transfer, new company development, seed capital formation, and research park development and marketing. Mr. Crowell also leads UNC’s efforts to connect its research enterprises with economic and business development opportunities in the region, state, nation, and world. Mr. Crowell, as a representative of UNC, sits on the boards of major statewide and regional economic development and entrepreneurial support agencies in North Carolina.
Mr. Crowell is Past President (2005) of the Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM). AUTM is the pre-eminent international organization in the field of academic technology transfer. AUTM has a membership of nearly 3,500 professionals, almost 12% of whom are from outside of North America. AUTM’s mission is to promote and enhance the global technology transfer profession through education, training, networking, and advocacy, and through the identification and dissemination of best practices in academic technology transfer.
Mr. Crowell’s speaking and consulting experience in the past two years includes keynote addresses at international conferences in at least 15 countries outside the U.S., as well as advisory roles with many major national and international organizations, including the AAAS and the National Academies of Sciences. He has extensive management experience in organizations and initiatives related to technology transfer and innovation-based economic development.
Abstract
Documentation of Inventions
Abstract:
Documentation of research is a critical aspect of best practices in IP management. This is true because research and development activities that give rise to inventions must be thoroughly documented in order to successfully manage patents, including determining patentability, drafting and prosecuting patent applications, and later, if the need arises, protecting patents against third party challenges, for example, a patent interference proceeding. Maintaining, for each invention, a complete record of who made the invention, when it was made, and how it was made, must therefore become a formal component of a university’s policy and training programs and must be carried our according to specific protocols. An organized and methodical approach to documentation will support patent management, provide a readily accessible source of critical information, ensure the capture of maximum value of inventions, and protect patent portfolios against challenges when, and if, the need arises.
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