Technology Transfer and Innovation
More than a patent licensing program . . .
Our vision is to be the world’s leading model of university technology transfer by 2020.
KAUST is one of the world’s first research universities to build an integrated economic development and technology commercialization program designed around the principles of open innovation. The Technology Transfer & Innovation Program (TTi) not only licenses out KAUST patent rights to industry, but also licenses in technology from KAUST’s GCR partner universities for sublicense to companies in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East North Africa (MENA) region.
Our goal is to build a KAUST Innovation Ecosystem, comprised of partner universities and companies and the MENA 400 regional innovation network. We will measure our success by the number of licensed companies bringing KAUST technologies to market and our impact on the spread of technology-based innovation in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and across MENA.
For a comprehensive overview of TTi and guidance on intellectual property practices and procedures, please see the KAUST Intellectual Property Policy. Under the Policy, KAUST owns all patents and copyrights made by faculty, staff and students, and shares any revenue with the inventors. Excluded from KAUST ownership are traditional academic works and many categories of student works.
The mission of KAUST Technology Transfer & Innovation is:
- To ensure that new knowledge and technology created at KAUST are effectively transferred for the widest public benefit and for the economic growth of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia;
- To develop new models of commercialization based upon global best practices that will lead to the adoption of new technology by companies in Saudi Arabia and MENA; and,
- To educate and serve as a resource for the KAUST community on matters relating to entrepreneurship, intellectual property, and technology commercialization.
Working with the TTi team
We work closely with KAUST researchers, not only to identify and manage their new inventions, but also to help protect their intellectual property rights when preparing to publish or work with outside collaborators. We will assign you a personal portfolio manager and, if a business start-up is being considered, business development assistance. As part of KAUST Economic Development, we work closely with the Seed Fund Program, the Innovation Cluster and the Research Park. Our resources are strengthened by partnerships with RTI International, which performs KAUST technology evaluations, Dr. Henry Chesbrough, a leading expert on open innovation, and Fulbright & Jaworski, KAUST patent counsel
