Alan Bentley

VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY continues to pursue patents as warranted by inventors' discoveries and market intelligence, and its review of more recently created technologies and licensing opportunities is well in hand.

However, Assistant Vice Chancellor Alan Bentley told Venture Nashville today that the VU Center for Technology Transfer and Commercialization (CTTC), which he leads, welcomes approaches by experts and firms with deep domain knowledge and market savvy to review patented but unlicensed technologies that might have -- notwithstanding the university's usual review, perhaps a decade earlier -- faded from CTTC's radar.

Bentley said off-campus sector experts may know of industrial or financial developments that have not been recognized on campus, or may have ideas for repurposing technologies in ways that have only become practical in recent years, in the wake of continual business, scientific or technological shifts.

Bentley noted that, figuratively, all research universities have a warehouse of aging patented technologies, many of which might warrant a fresh review, as their remaining patent protection shortens.

While CTTC and other expertise within Vanderbilt are generally plentiful for conducting current reviews, insight into potential new applications for older discoveries might be harder to staff.

"There's always potential for a diamond in the rough," he said.

Meanwhile, Bentley also emphasized that basic information on perhaps a third of the university's most recent discoveries is accessible via the CTTC website, which includes not only a patent search function and Tech browser, but also such divisions as the VU company portfolio, e-Innovation offerings, Technology Portfolios and mores.

Though CTTC applies no sector priorities to VU technologies, Bentley confirmed that opportunities involving "digital health" or "HealthIT" are of great interest.

Bentley encouraged entrepreneurs, investors and would-be advisors to contact him or Economic & New Venture Development Director Peter Rousos Esq., regarding either new or older technologies. Staff listing here.

Bentley emphasized that the CTTC is not interested in hearing from would-be advisors who make a practice out of lawsuits alleging patent infringement -- the so-called "patent trolls." VNC

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