Rice to host energy technologies forum for university tech-transfer managers and industry reps

Office of Public Affairs / News & Media Relations

MEDIA ADVISORY

B.J. Almond
713-348-6770
balmond@rice.edu

 Rice U. to host energy technologies forum for university tech-transfer managers and industry reps Oct. 22-23

Energy and higher-ed reporters welcome to attend

HOUSTON — (Oct. 2, 2014) — What does the energy industry want from academia? Representatives from business development and intellectual property management will address that question when they meet with university technology-transfer reps who have responsibilities for managing energy portfolios during the Association of University Technology Managers’ (AUTM) Partnering Forum at Rice University Oct. 22-23. Journalists who cover the energy, tech-transfer and higher-ed beats are welcome to attend.

“The top 10 energy companies are in Houston, so we’re focusing on oil and gas for this AUTM Partnering Forum,” said Nila Bhakuni, director of Rice’s Office of Technology Transfer and chair of the event. “We’re bringing together university and industry reps to explore potential energy research collaborations and licensing opportunities.”

The agenda includes panel discussions on success stories of partnerships in academia and energy and on guidelines for effective technology transfer. Luncheon plenary speakers will discuss the energy industry’s expectations of universities.

The Association of University Technology Managers is a nonprofit organization with an international membership of more than 3,200 technology managers and business executives. The majority of AUTM members are managers of intellectual property, which is one of the most active growth sectors of the global economy, and they work at universities, research institutions and teaching hospitals as well as at numerous businesses and government organizations.

Who: University technology transfer reps from Auburn University, Case Western Reserve University, Colorado School of Mines, Duke University, Georgia Tech Research Corporation, Pacific Northwest National Lab, Rice University, University of Texas at Austin, University of Toledo, Vanderbilt University, Wake Forest University and other schools will meet with reps from Baker Hughes, BP, Chevron, Energy Ventures, ExxonMobil, GE Oil & Gas, National Oilwell Varco, Schlumberger LTD, Shell and other energy industry partners.

What: Association of University Technology Managers’ Partnering Forum on Energy Technologies.

When: Oct. 22 (evening networking reception at 6 p.m.) and Oct. 23 (forum from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.).        

Where: Rice University’s BioScience Research Collaborative, 6500 Main St., Houston. (Oct. 22 reception is at Cohen House on the Rice campus, 6100 Main. St.)

For the forum agenda and more information about this event, visit http://www.autm.net/Energy_Technologies/13710.htm.

Journalists who want to attend should contact Paul Stark, AUTM communications manager, for press passes at pstark@autm.net or 847-559-0846.

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Located on a 300-acre forested campus in Houston, Rice University is consistently ranked among the nation’s top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has highly respected schools of Architecture, Business, Continuing Studies, Engineering, Humanities, Music, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences and is home to the Baker Institute for Public Policy. With 3,920 undergraduates and 2,567 graduate students, Rice’s undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio is just over 6-to-1. Its residential college system builds close-knit communities and lifelong friendships, just one reason why Rice is ranked among some of the top schools for best quality of life by the Princeton Review and for best value among private universities by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance. To read “What they’re saying about Rice,” go to http://tinyurl.com/AboutRiceU.

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About B.J. Almond

B.J. Almond is senior director of news and media relations in Rice University's Office of Public Affairs.