July 2019 | View Online
Department Chairs - Please route this message to your department
Prasant
Mohapatra

Vice Chancellor
for Research
The impact of research at UC Davis extends around the world and one of the important pathways for this is through commercialization of technologies developed at our university. This message highlights the available support network for those looking to expand their impact through this pathway.

Our Innovation and Technology Commercialization (ITC) division provides faculty, clinicians, staff and students with the tools, services, resources and connections needed to successfully translate research into tomorrow’s products and companies.

Just this week we issued a press release announcing 14 startups that emerged from technologies developed at UC Davis over the last fiscal year. Our Venture Catalyst team guides entrepreneurial researchers through the formation of startup companies, including the process of establishing the appropriate corporate structure, applying for patents and making essential connections within the commercial sphere. Since its formation in 2013, Venture Catalyst has enabled the formation of 85 startups and supported many more.

The fundamental commercial pathway enabled by ITC is through licensing or otherwise conveying intellectual property rights to companies — a process that is facilitated by our InnovationAccess team. This past year, UC Davis generated over 150 records of inventions crossing a wide range of applications. Intellectual property officers within Innovation Access work closely with inventors and external attorneys to evaluate and manage intellectual property (IP) developed at UC Davis.

I encourage you to explore the following opportunities in which our office and our partners support technology commercialization. 
Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Commercialization Resources
The correct time to disclose an invention is before it has been published or publicly presented. UC Davis Innovation Access can discuss any questions you might have, even before filing a Record of Invention, to help assemble a strategy for patenting.
Venture Catalyst STAIR™ (Science Translation and Innovative Research) Grants provide funding to UC Davis researchers to support translational science and innovative research, enabling demonstration of early proof-of-concept and commercial potential, or feasibility for technologies being developed with the intent of commercial translation.  
Several industry-focused entrepreneurship academies are offered by the UC Davis Mike and Renee Child Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and supported by Office of Research. Each academy is taught by investors, entrepreneurs, university faculty and administrators, and industry experts who serve as mentors and guest speakers. 
The Venture Catalyst START TM (Smart Toolkit for Accelerated Research Translation) program provides the resources and support necessary to equip UC Davis affiliated entrepreneurs with the tools they need to form and grow successful startup companies. Services include business strategy guidance, startup mentoring, market assessments, legal consultation, coaching for investor pitching and discounted access to state-of-the-art technology services.
The Venture Catalyst DRIVE™ (Distributed Research Incubation & Venture Engine) Program provides a network of thematically oriented business incubators. The DRIVE Network provides UC Davis affiliated startups with access to affordable, mixed office/lab business incubation spaces and equipment in close proximity to the campus.
The Biotech Innovation Gallery (BIG) Accelerator program prepares selected biotech startups to engage in a networking day and showcase event during the annual JP Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco. Participants are prepared through customized coaching and training (August through December) including individualized one‐on‐one mentor engagements and business training sessions
Looking for a comprehensive guide for establishing a technology-derived startup?
For More Information, Contact:

Innovation & Technology Commercialization
Dushyant Pathak, Associate Vice Chancellor of Research, Innovation & Technology Commercialization itc@ucdavis.edu

Innovation Access
Bill Tucker, Executive Director

Venture Catalyst
Dushyant Pathak, Executive Director

Other Office of Research Resources and Support
Prasant Mohapatra | Office of Research | pmohapatra@ucdavis.edu