On April 30-May 1, CLDP, in partnership with the National Foundation for Science and Advanced Technologies of Armenia (NFSAT), held a Capacity Building in Innovation and Technology Transfer Workshop, at the State Engineering University in Yerevan. Participants included specialists from Armenia’s main academic institutions, the IP Agency, the Ministry of Science and Education, the National Academy of Sciences and IP lawyers. Jerry Schaufeld, Professor of Practice in Entrepreneurship, Worcester Polytechnic Institute and Dr. Steven Price, Associate Vice President for Technology Development and Director of Intellectual Property Management at Oklahoma State University led the workshop. Over the two-day program, the participants developed an action plan and formed a task force to create technology transfer offices and train technology commercialization specialists in Armenia.

This goals of this program are to help (1) create institutions/technology transfer offices within key academic institutions; (2) train personnel to manage technology transfer offices in Armenia; (3) develop a strategy for a legislative and regulatory framework that will bolster R&D commercialization in Armenia; and (4) develop a strategy for increased dialogue and cooperation between academia, the business community and the government in the field of R&D commercialization and technology transfer.

Through this workshop, which will be followed by U.S. Consultations in July 2012, CLDP and NFSAT hope to initiate a process to create a critical mass of Armenian specialists equipped with the knowledge and skills required to successfully commercialize the discoveries made by Armenia’s academic community, and to act as an effective interface with the business community.