Post-Grant Review: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly for Biotechnology Companies

This paper summarizes the Post-Grant Review process, one of the many interesting aspects of patent reform brought about by the enactment of the America Invents Act, and the effect it may have on how Biotechnology companies conduct business and manage their intellectual property. Full details at the Journal of Commercial Biotechnology

The University of Colorado Certificate Program in Bioinnovation and Entrepreneurship: An interdisciplinary, cross-campus model

In keeping with an emerging literature on the role of business education in the development of entrepreneurially-intentioned biotechnologists, this paper describes the actions and experiences of an entrepreneurship program that began in the late 1990’s. Along the way it illustrates how a business-centric approach can shift the budding entrepreneur’s perspective from a product to a market orientation when considering an innovation’s commercialization. While the developmental timeline and specific stages of the adoption process for biotechnology-based products vary from traditional consumer or industrial products, there many similarities, foremost is the notion that to be successful the market must perceive significant advantage to the new offering. Lastly, this paper provides thoughts on potentially profitable areas for program expansion and new foci, especially regarding the globalization of biotechnology innovation and international opportunities.

Full details at the Journal of Commercial Biotechnology

Strategies for collaboration agreements focusing on innovation

Collaborations focusing on innovation are often born with the conception of a technology, typically as a result of one side’s research effort. Collaborations for innovation can also be made through a deliberate process of identifying strategic synergies that should, with appropriate incentives, lead to jointly created technology in the selected area of interest.
The predominant factors motivating the parties to collaborate will heavily influence the agreement structure selected to support the collaboration. If a specific technology was “born” prior to the collaboration, the parties will most likely memorialize their collaboration in an agreement specific to the joint development and commercialization for that technology. In contrast, when the parties are entering the collaboration to stimulate innovation, the agreement is often structured as a master agreement.
Regardless of the agreement structure, there are two keys to a successful collaboration for innovation: (1) effective communication; and (2) balancing incentives. Full details at the Journal of Commercial Biotechnology