Among the many cool presentations at yesterday's Technology and Aging Conference in Oakland was a talk about Blueroof Technologies and its model "Smart Cottage" for seniors in McKeesport. It was said that this is the first new home built in McKeesport's 3rd Ward in 75 years. True? Amazing.
Link: http://www.bluerooftechnologies.com/
2 comments:
This is good stuff but, forgive my ignorance, I don't understand how it works. Researchers hit on an idea that might have some commercial application. Do the tech transfer folks then market the idea to the private sector or are there private sector interests already in the game? Is the negotiation for advancing the idea a straight business deal? How do you open the doors so that more of these ideas can get out into commerce? How many ideas are we talking about?
These are business deals; sometimes the university goes looking for partners; sometimes partners come to the university; sometimes the researcher/inventor turns entrepreneur; sometimes the technology goes in search of a champion.
The short, initial answer is that the details of the deals matter. Universities want royalties; universities want equity. If they demand too much up front, it may kill the deal, or make it much less appealing even without killing it.
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