Ida Shum, Far West Regional Coordinator and Brian Suh, Deputy Coordinator

J. Susan Sprake, MC Regional Coordinator (right) and Deb Covey, Deputy Coordinator

Catherine Elizando (left) and Ida Shum, exhibit modern day multi-tasking.

The 2011 FLC Far West / Mid-Continent Regional Meeting was held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Monterey, CA, August 29-31, 2011. The meeting was hosted by the FLC Far West Region, Ida Shum, Regional Coordinator, and the FLC Mid-Continent Region, J. Susan Sprake, Regional Coordinator.

The conference highlighted important focus areas for the technology transfer professional. These included:

Training

• New Ways to Monetize IP
• IP Bundling, Auctioning and other Mechanisms
• Unit License Rights
• ICAP Patent Brokerage
• Patent Reform and Current Legal Issues
• America Invents Act
• Stanford v. Roche, Myriad
• Gene Patenting Debate
• Distinguishing Between a Strong Claim and Weak Claim
• How to translate a patent claim into a successful marketing piece
• Leveraging software disclosures into licensable technologies

• Investors Forum
• Entrepreneur in Readiness
• Return on Investment - State of Tech Transfer
• White House Initiative and its Implications to the Interagency Work Group for Technology Transfer
• DC Rep Update: Legislation Review
• Japan's Tsunami and its Effect on the Future of Nuclear Power
• DOE: America's Next Top Innovator
• From Lab to Small Business to Fortune 500
• Entrepreneurship Programs
• Engaging Innovative and Entrepreneurial Thinking

• Outstanding Commercialization Success
• Outstanding Partnership
• Outstanding Technology Development
• Technology transfer Professional of the Year
• Laboratory Representative of the Year
• Outstanding Laboratory
• Outstanding STEM Mentorship
• Excellence in Technology Transfer