Conferences and training events are an excellent way to meet peers, network and meet potential partners. Nevertheless, budgetary constraints is a common conversational topic to many of us who work at TTOs. We tend to have to prioritise which training programmes, conferences and meetings to attend yearly.
In 2019 a new colleague joined our KTO office - so myself together with my fellow co-workers set out to guide her and let her know how to kick-off her career in technology transfer. I realised that over the relatively short amount of time I have been with a TTO (3 years), I got to learn about multiple opportunities. So, I decided to write about all the opportunities I came to know about during my experience in this blog post, hoping it will be helpful for those who are just about to join our world of technology transfer.
First thing I would recommend anyone joining a TTO office is to sign up with an ATTP association. If budgeting for membership is an issue, then at least sign up for the newsletters. For those who are based in the EU, the IPR helpdesk conduct multiple free of charge webinars. 4IPCouncil also conduct multiple webinars on IP. In addition, WIPO Academy conducts online IP courses, some of which are free. The WIPO Academy also selects a limited number of alumni who have read for their general distance learning (DL) course and advanced course to apply for scholarships covering travel and participation in a face-to-face training events.
TTO Opportunities: Guest #blog by Michelle Cortis @UMmalta
— PraxisAuril (@PraxisAuril) February 14, 2020
"If you have #academic background in #lifesciences, @lifearc1 provides a yearly fellowship in #techtransfer. @inteum_company also tend to offer #scholarship for yearly conferences." Get more tips > https://t.co/ZwOa4bwfOt pic.twitter.com/EPrNWU4Bu8
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If you have an academic background in life sciences, LifeArc provides a yearly fellowship in technology transfer. It is an excellent programme which gives you a great insight on TT. Apart from this, Inteum also tend to offer scholarship for yearly conferences, including but not limited, to attend Praxil Auril yearly conference and the ASTP Annual conference. AUTM also have a yearly scholarship (the Howard Bremer Scholarship) which awards up to five people a free registration at the next conference.
Erasmus+ is also an excellent opportunity for those who wish to avail themselves of an internship and/or placement within another office. Usually, travel and accommodation are covered for a maximum period of 2 months.
In conclusion, my advice is to sign up with those associations that are of interest to you, follow different technology transfer blogs and keep updated through different media.
Written by Michelle Cortis from the KTO of the University of Malta.
Feel free to contact Michelle on michelle.cortis@um.edu.mt should you wish to network with the Maltese Knowledge Transfer Office.
*The above has not been endorsed by any of the third parties mentioned.*