From June 3 – 5, the Hynes Convention Center in Boston was all about technology transfer. Universities, research institutes and start-up companies all had an opportunity to make contact with companies and investors from the four corners of the globe at the “TechConnect Summit”, spark off potential collaborations and offer novel technologies for licensing. The fair takes place annually in conjunction with the “NSTI Nanotech”, “Clean Technology” and “NSTI Bionano” conferences. ETH Transfer (see box) was also present as part of the “Swissnanotech Pavilion”, seeking licensees and cooperative projects for technologies developed at ETH Zurich that had been registered for a patent.

Three innovations were presented at the event: the “Micro-SOFC”, a high-performance micro-fuel cell for portable electronic equipment developed by Ludwig Gauckler’s team from the Department of Non-Metallic Materials in collaboration with additional research associates. Compared to more conventional micro-batteries, the “Micro-SOFC” has a higher energy density, can be loaded more quickly and has a longer serviceable life. The technology is used in laptops, digital cameras or medical electrical appliances. The “Wearable Eye-Tracker” developed by the team headed by Gerhard Tröster from the Institute of Electronics was also demonstrated. The appliance, which consists of a pair of goggles and a pocket computer, automatically records eye movements over a longer period of time, something which could prove useful for medical purposes. It could also be used in computer games and everyday electronics. The third innovation showcased in Boston, the “Imaging Adsorption Sensor” (IAS), was presented by one of the inventors himself. Tobias Balmer from the Department of Surface Technology demonstrated to the audience how links between molecules and surfaces can be examined with nanometer precision and minimal instrumental effort thanks to the IAS. As such data is especially used for the development of medication and diagnostics, many pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies expressed an interest in Balmer’s presentation. “I was surprised at just how much interest our IAS demonstrator attracted at the TechConnect Summit”, said Tobias Balmer after the trade fair.

MIT exchange with licensing parties

For ETH Transfer’s Matthias Hölling, the trade fair in Boston was a unique opportunity to meet potential international licensing partners from the industry. With this in mind, a much-noticed reception in the Swiss pavilion and a meeting with representatives from universities, politics and industry was organized. A meeting with the technology transfer colleagues from the Massachusets Institute of Technology (MIT) proved equally worthwhile for Marjan Kraak, Marketing Manager at ETH Transfer. “I was impressed that practically every research team from MIT remains in close contact with the industry, enabling developed technologies to be licensed to commercial enterprises in a swift and uncomplicated fashion. We have to develop this active exchange further in Zurich and ETH Transfer will play a key role in this.”

ETH Transfer

ETH Transfer supports members of ETH Zurich in all matters concerning collaborations with the industry, the commercial realization of inventions, patent registrations and licensing, not to mention the foundation of a start-up company. Furthermore, ETH Transfer is the contact point for external interested parties looking to conduct a joint research project with ETH Zurich or license technology. More information: http://www.transfer.ethz.ch/