Always our first event of the year, the AUTM Annual Meeting in Seattle provided a great opportunity to catch up with current customers and learn more about what’s on the horizon for Tech Transfer Offices in 2026.
John Wiora, Jake Sweeney and Abner Castaneda took to the show floor not only to inform attendees of the benefits of and recent updates to the ktMINE platform for universities, but to listen and learn from industry experts.
It was unsurprising to learn that funding for sponsored research has dropped, causing Tech Transfer Offices to shift resources to fit within a limited budget. Now, more than ever, these innovators must tap into more comprehensive research platforms in order to stretch their dollar ever further.
Over the past couple years, we have heard more universities talk about shifting to starting up spin-offs with their university IP as opposed to more traditional licensing. However, there doesn’t seem to be a consistent approach on this front, nor has there been much discussion on how to support the IP of those new entities.
On top of this, at last year’s event, AI was the talk of the floor. However, based on conversations this year, the hype surrounding AI has decreased, becoming an assumed product feature rather than a requested one. The focus of AI discussion, rather, has turned to practicality over flash: “how can we do more with less?” Given the state of funding, this shouldn’t be a surprise.
As an added bonus, our team had a great time cheering on the Seattle Seahawks during their victory over the Patriots. What an exciting opportunity all around!
