A National Science and Technology Agency in South America

Oxford Oracle worked twice with the national science and technology agency in South America, on the national technology transfer programme programme which aims at the development of technology managers and connectors

Oxford Oracle prepared a six-week secondment programme in Oxford for postgraduate students, which provided the secondees with a practical and in-depth understanding of all aspects of technology transfer project management appropriate to the secondees level of experience. The programme included 3 Alliance for Technology Transfer Professionals (ATTP) courses (Practical Fundamentals of Technology Transfer, Digital knowhow and Valuation), and site visits to the various organisations in the UK innovation ecosystem. Delegates were supported in advancing their projects during their secondment. In 2016 and 2020 a national agency in South America for the Promotion of Science and Technology commissioned Oxford Oracle to provide a bespoke training programme for three South American technology transfer postgraduates, to develop their professional capabilities in the field. All three were participants in the national technology transfer programme, a national programme to increase collaboration between academia and industry in South America. The training took the form of the three professionals being seconded to Oxford Oracle in Oxford for an intensive six-week programme. They worked on challenging case studies, which allowed them to be involved in every aspect of the technology transfer process. The secondees were also given the opportunity to see developed ecosystems in both Oxford and London and were introduced to potential investors. Learning took place in two phases: eight to ten days of training, followed by four week-long case studies. The training was provided by Oxford Oracle's professional and experienced technology commercialisation trainers and covered the entire technology transfer process: a) idea capture, early-stage project evaluation and working effectively with researchers; b) patent landscaping, technology evaluation and global marketing; and c) international licensing and spin-out creation. Notably, the secondees had widely differing personal objectives: the first was pursuing his own innovation management consultancy business; the second wanted to understand the innovation ecosystem to build similar linkages in South America; and the third was looking for advice on driving forward his own technology startup. Oxford Oracle was able to tailor the experience to their individual needs each had their own mentor and received one-to-one support for their individual aims. The secondees are now fully equipped to deal with the evaluation and exploitation of technologies with commercial potential. This means that the South American nation can benefit from a new impetus in the development of its own innovation ecosystems and thrive in an increasingly competitive global innovation ecosystem. Alternative case study South America Secondment for Internship Programme for South American the national technology transfer programme Graduates. The objective was to enable the development of an international internship programme aimed at graduates and managers and technological linkers (the national technology transfer programme). Secondment programme for South American Innovation professionals. Included 3 Alliance for Technology Transfer Professionals (ATTP) courses (Practical Fundamentals of Technology Transfer, Digital knowhow and Valuation) as well as site visits to various organisations in the UK innovation ecosystem. Delegates were supported in advancing their own projects during their secondment. Alternative case study for 2016 programme The programme was split into three phases, in which the first involved an intensive two-week training programme in Oxford, UK, focused on technology transfer and innovation management. Following the training, Oxford Oracle provided mentoring support to the delegates to advance their projects as anticipated. Finally, Oxford Oracle delivered a large training programme in South America for more than 30 individuals from a technology institute and the regional technology transfer centres. This work involved more advanced technology transfer topics and exercises as well as working with the institution to improve its organisational structure, in order to facilitate a more efficient technology transfer operation. With the skills and knowledge gained through this programme, the regional technology transfer centres were able to improve their technology transfer capabilities and begin to better support their researchers. In addition, a technology institute and the regional technology transfer centres were able to establish valuable long-term partnerships with UK and European organisations.

The programme added a new modality to the postgraduate training in South America where universities and private sector partners deliver a curriculum in innovation management to strengthen the technology transfer capabilities of their students.