The Research Foundation for The State University of New York is seeking an ambitious, entrepreneurial, and impact-driven Business Development and Licensing Professional to support its Industry and External Affairs (IEA) team make SUNY the best place for researchers and innovators to solve the world's most pressing problems, and connect those solutions with partners that translate them into products and services that will transform lives.
You will leverage existing contacts and experience to build and promote deep relationships with research, development, and commercialization partners in the biotechnology, medical device and diagnostic, therapeutics, drug development, pharmaceuticals, and biomedical technologies industry sectors.
You will proactively partner with and build strong relationships with SUNY's research community. You will analyze and drive decisions related to SUNY's research and intellectual property portfolio based on your understanding of market trends and opportunities in your sector. Your knowledge of specific industry segments will enable you to develop and implement development and commercialization strategies for new technologies created by SUNY researchers. To be successful in your position, you will be a constant learner, utilize data to drive decisions, proactively communicate with colleagues, and focus on building partnerships and curated deals. You will continuously develop your knowledge of SUNY's intellectual property and research assets, while always identifying and curating potential partner opportunities. You must be conversant, comfortable, and confident with academic and commercial partners and capable of building and growing networks. You should expect to serve as a resource for creating, evaluating, positioning, and identifying collaboration opportunities for commercially relevant research.
Through direct, daily interaction with research and technology commercialization professionals across the SUNY enterprise, faculty, small and large businesses, and venture investors, the IEA team builds strong relationships, seizes opportunities, and enters into agreements to translate academic discoveries into commercial products that benefit society, impact public health, and improve quality of life. If you are a business-minded individual who is self-motivated, curious, enthusiastic about technology, outgoing, enjoys teamwork, thrives when continually challenged, and craves opportunities for deep engagement with some of the world's brightest scientific thinkers and doers, then this is the dream opportunity you have been searching for.
You will:
- Seek and vet external partnering and licensing opportunities for technologies and technology portfolios; complete market research to identify potential licensees, curate leads, and solicit interest from various potential partners; assess the commercial value of inventions and patent applications within a significant portfolio of intellectual property; participate in the selection, recommendation, and initiation of appropriate strategies and execution plans regarding future development or abandonment.
- Scout internal research programs to identify early-stage research that has high potential to align with commercially relevant opportunities; educate and influences inventors on how to get to the next commercial value inflection point to de-risk technology assets and facilitate partnerships; curate an engaged network of potential commercial industry partners.
- Identify and source technology development and partnering leads; evaluate potential commercial partners for collaboration; maintain regular communications with all leads generated.
- Draft term sheets of financial and non-financial commercial terms and support drafting and editing agreements of all types and complexities; comfortable leading deal team negotiations of all types and complexities; perform technology valuations, market analyses, and competitive landscapes to be used in negotiations.
- Oversee complex and contentious post-deal compliance matters, especially reporting obligations, due diligence, and payment matters in collaboration with other business units.
- Collaborate with colleagues across the SUNY enterprise to build portfolios around specific industry sectors and areas of interest; develop enterprise-wide licensing strategies, including pooling or bundling of portfolios to maximize the licensing opportunities for SUNY-developed intellectual property.
- Engage with the private sector to understand market trends, obtain feedback on technologies and customers, and promote research, partnerships, and faculty opportunities; prepare promotional materials for marketing to industry tech scouts and product acquisition professionals, such as non-confidential summaries, technology summaries, social media posts, and website content; assist in the development of strategies, policies, and procedures to attract private sector entities to SUNY.
- Partner with other IEA members to develop and implement technology marketing strategies to tell and sell the story of SUNY research and innovation to targeted stakeholders and the general public.
- Effectively manage agreements and industry relationships using internal database and related systems, including client relationship management, compliance, reviewing reports, preparing invoices, and processing financial transactions.
- Assist in the development, communication, and implementation of best practices for business development, licensing, and technology transfer.
You are the best candidate for this role because you are:
- A leader – You are strategic with a growth mindset and a keen understanding of new technology development and commercialization. You approach your work with a high-level of integrity, focus, professionalism, and inclusiveness. You always support your team, even when you disagree, and you know when to listen and when to be direct.
- Passionate – For you, this in not just another job. Our mission resonates with you, you truly believe in what we do and get energy from our collective wins. Like us, you want to make a difference. Here, you can.
- A Closer – You are able to quickly build rapport with key partners upon an initial introduction and can quickly and effectively close the deal.
- Tireless – You seek to learn from others constantly, while also helping to coach and mentor those who are not as well versed as you are in your technical area. As a result, you are determined to achieve your goals and relentlessly support your team while always remembering this is not your typical 9-5 job.
What can you bring to an exciting opportunity like this?
- A technical degree in a discipline that will enable you to carryout the duties of this role with success.
- Five or more years of experience in Business Development, Technology licensing, or Product Development
- Academic and commercial experience in biotechnology, medical devices and diagnostics, therapeutics, drug development, pharmaceuticals and biomedical technologies
- Experience with the development, preparation and negotiation of a wide range of business contracts
