AMMAN - In his keynote speech during the fourth Annual Conference on Technology Commercialization “Technology Transfer Research and Development (R&D) and IP Commercialization, Policies, and Investment” that kicked off today at Le Meridien Hotel Amman, John Fraser, assistant vice president for Research and Economic Development, Florida State University, called on Jordan to benefit from the American experience in Technology Transfer Commercialization.

Illustrating his point at the Conference held under the Patronage of HRH Princess Sumaya bint El Hassan and organized by the Queen Rania Center for Entrepreneurship (QRCE), Fraser tackled the example of mobile phones -a technology that leaped over old economy stages.

“Learn from others, leapfrog, and you can avoid the costly lessons learned by others, avoid waiting for a landline. Promote cell phone towers!” he said while addressing a big audience.

In this regard, Fraser highlighted four important means that can help Jordan leap: Engagement in academic technology transfer, engaging earlier in a program of spinning companies out of public funding research centers and universities, creating earlier clear policies and procedures and standardizing agreements and operations.

Elaborating on this, Fraser stressed on the importance of measuring success.

“How you measure success matters!!!” he stated pointing out the inputs, outputs, outcomes and the impacts of technology transfer.

“Inputs are related to the invention disclosures, patents, copyrights filed; outputs are the licenses signed, and the patents issued; outcomes, on the other hand, are products in the market.”

“However, if you really want to measure your success, you should measure its impacts; the number of lives you have saved, productivity, competitiveness improved, wealth created and knowledge-based economy,” he added.

Moreover, Fraser emphasized the universities’ role and what he called “Academic Technology Transfer” saying that:

“Universities have a social contract with society. In return for public funding, universities will educate the next generation, create knowledge about the world and its problems and perform community service (clinical studies, economic development, etc.). Academic technology transfer is a relatively new activity within the social contract.”

Displaying various items and products, Fraser explained that all these products are all the inventions of universities’ studies and researches that contributed to the well-being of the society.

“We are waiting to hear of such inventions from Jordan, from Jordanian universities; however, you have to be patient because although the process from lab to the market takes many years, it is still achievable,” he added.

“After twenty five years of experience in the Technology Transfer field, I can say that it is no longer the time for the big guys only,” he said “recent statics have shown that the small companies in the United States are contributing to the total licenses by 54% in 2004.”

“So you can start now and that is exactly the role of the Queen Rania Center for Entrepreneurship (QRCE) with all its programs; there is no better time than now to think of your own inventions, protect them and come up with a new product that will benefit your society,” Fraser concluded.

Fraser is currently the Executive Director of the Office of IP Development and Commercialization, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida (1996-present). Prior to that, he served as Director, University/Industry Liaison Office at Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, Canada.

In 2006, he became President of AUTM, the global, academic professional technology transfer association and served a two-year term as VP Membership (2001-2003); he is a Founding Board Director of the Tallahassee Region Technology Association, the TalTech Alliance and its Executive Committee; is a Founding Board member of the Florida Research Consortium and its Executive Committee, appointed by the Governor to increase university/company interactions to better the Florida economy, and has consulted the John’s Hopkins University technology transfer program by assisting scientists/engineers to write business plans for new startup companies. In 2006, he joined the Board of BioFlorida, the statewide biotechnology trade association.

Fraser holds a Masters Degree in Biochemistry from the University of California - Berkeley.