On May 3-May 4, CLDP, in partnership with the National Intellectual Property Center of Georgia “Sakpatenti”, held a Capacity Building in Innovation and Technology Transfer Workshop in Tbilisi, Georgia. Participants included specialists from Georgia’s main academic institutions, Ministry of Science and Education, Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development, IP lawyers, business associations and staff of the newly established Georgia Technology Transfer Center (GTTC).  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, Oklahoma State University led the workshop. Over the two-day program, participants discussed how GTTC will best serve Georgia’s commercialization needs and the need for continued training and capacity building for GTTC staff and commercialization staff at Georgia’s leading academic institutions.

This goals of this program are to help (1) create or strengthen existing institutions/technology transfer offices, specifically focusing on GTTC; (2) train personnel to manage technology transfer offices in Georgia, specifically at GTTC; (3) develop a strategy for a legislative and regulatory framework that will bolster R&D commercialization in Georgia; 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 Sakpatenti hope to bolster the number of Georgian specialists equipped with the knowledge and skills required to successfully commercialize discoveries made by Georgia’s academic community, and to act as an effective interface with the business community.