STCU’s Technology Transfer Officer Program Begins in Moldova

13 Jan 2009 - 31 Jan 2009

The implementation of the STCU’s Chief Technology Commercialization Officer (CTCO) Program began in Moldova on 21 October 2008 with a training session for selected Moldovan candidates from scientific institutes and universities. Further, round-table discussions continued for two more weeks, to facilitate further development of these CTCO activities. Also participating in the sessions were invited representatives from the Moldovan Agency for Innovation and Technology Transfer, the Scientific-Technological Park “Academica”, and the Moldovan business incubator “Inovatorul”.

During the sessions, Moldavian and Ukrainian experts offered lectures, role-playing activities, and case studies on intellectual property management, business plan writing, and technology cost evaluation, and negotiation of licensing agreements. The Moldavian CTCO participants are now conducting (as homework assignments) technological audits and commercialization planning in their institutes. The next training phase is planned for January 2009, to review and assess the homework assignments.

This Moldovan CTCO activity is part of the expansion of the successful CTCO Program first established in Ukraine, and later in Georgia and Azerbaijan. The goal is for these CTCO candidates to become the central point within their institutes for beneficial commercial technology licensing and business development. A CTCO is envisioned as a focal point and as a resource to pro-actively identify the needs of potential customers and the possible means to satisfy those customer needs by offering useful technological solutions and improvements, while bringing the institute’s innovative products and technologies to the market.

The event was strongly supported, and widely advertised, by the Academy of Sciences of Moldova, and on 27 December 2008, there will be a special radio broadcast dedicated to this event.