What No One Taught You in Tech Transfer 101: Developing the Soft Skills That Make the Difference

You learned about the licensing models, the patent basics, and the compliance requirements. But no one handed you a playbook for telling a PI their invention isn’t moving forward, explaining barriers to commercialization buried in the terms of a funding agreement, effectively working with cross-functional teams with different priorities, or rebuilding trust after a misstep.

And the people skills that matter with external partners matter just as much down the hall. Handoffs between licensing, contracts, IP, and compliance, competing priorities, and tight deadlines all depend on how well your own team communicates, collaborates, and trusts one another.

In technology transfer, the technical, operational and legal knowledge gets you in the room. What happens once you’re there, with researchers, industry partners, and your own colleagues, often comes down to the skills most of us picked up by trial and error, if at all.

Join us for a practical, fast-paced session on four skill areas that matter in every corner of a tech transfer office. Each focused deep dive includes a clear concept, a real-world example or technique you can try right away, and a look at how the same skill shows up differently across roles, from licensing and IP management to contracts, marketing, compliance, and operations. We’ll also talk about how to keep building these skills over the course of your career.

Key Discussion Topics:

• Translation, communication, and collaboration: making complex ideas land with very different audiences
• Diplomacy, boundaries, and how to say “no” well
• Trust and relationship building: the foundation behind every successful partnership
• Curiosity and learning agility: staying adaptable in a constantly shifting landscape
• Why soft skills are the engine of internal team effectiveness, from smoother handoffs to healthier office culture
• How to practice and develop these skills at every career stage

Who Should Attend:

Technology transfer professionals at every career stage and in every functional role, including licensing, IP management, contracts, marketing, compliance, and operations, as well as those who lead or mentor teams and anyone looking to be more effective in a collaborative, high-stakes environment.

Whether you’re newer to the profession or a seasoned practitioner, you’ll leave with fresh perspective and practical tools to strengthen the relationships that make technology transfer work.

Program Leaders