The UWM Research Foundation team recently attended the Annual AUTM (Association of University Technology Managers) conference in Austin, Texas this past February to network with colleagues, learn the latest best practices, and connect with industry. The team strives to constantly improve and evolve to best leverage our intellectual property expertise, ignite UWM startups, and foster corporate research partnerships.

Jessica Silvaggi, Brian Walsh, and Erin Puro head out for a tour of Austin, TX

According to recent surveys performed by Wellspring, a tech transfer solutions platform, disclosures, licenses, and patents have gone up since 2020, but staffing is down 12% in technology transfer offices. 60% of companies are predicting an increase in R&D and 62% are optimistic about innovation in 2022, while 40% of companies felt it was easier to work with outside partners such as universities. There has been a 15% increase of these partnerships from 2021 to 2022. Many offices have moved to combining corporate engagement with technology transfer offices to help streamline their business development processes. The UWMRF will always continue to adapt and keep a finger on the pulse of these trends.