Learn About the Technology Transfer Process

News Release for SooNews.ca
Friday, January 2, 2009, 12:48PM

Did you know that small and medium sized businesses can commercialize new technologies that have been developed in government laboratories and academic facilities? For a small business, these new technologies – in the scientific and information technology fields – are often available and a great opportunity to help get their SME to the next level.

Technology transfer may seem like a tricky process, but the Sault Ste. Marie Innovation Centre (SSMIC) and the National Research Council – Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC – IRAP) have partnered to deliver a user-friendly, full day workshop for entrepreneurs in the market for a new technology.

The Technology Transfer Process workshop is tailored towards SMEs who are interested in accessing these marketable technologies but are not sure where to start. The entire technology transfer process will be broken down and presented in a user-friendly manner to assist SMEs in uncovering and accessing new technologies.

SMEs and entrepreneurs will also learn how to properly license and protect (IP) these technologies to enable the first steps to successful commercialization. This workshop will guide SMEs through these processes with the goal of advancing economic development in Northern Ontario.

Taking place on Wednesday January 14, 2009 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Algoma’s Water Tower Inn, The Technology Transfer Process is a full-day program that connects local SMEs with experienced professionals who will help guide them through the process while sharing their valuable expertise and advice in the field.

“This is an excellent opportunity for local SMEs to learn how to advance their business through commercializing new technologies,” said Tom Vair, executive director, SSMIC. “This workshop includes an impressive group of expert speakers that will share their knowledge of the first steps to commercialization and enable companies to make technology transfer work for their own business. We encourage all SMEs and entrepreneurs who have an interest in accessing marketable technologies and learning about the benefits of technology transfer to attend.”

Attendees will have the opportunity to hear from experienced professionals:

Marcel Mongeon is an independent Intellectual Property Coach assisting companies with devising and implementing strategies to profit from their intangible assets.

He is an experienced international speaker and seminar leader in many areas including business strategy, intellectual property management and negotiations. Marcel is a lawyer qualified in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec as well as in New York State in the USA. He is a Canadian Registered Patent and Trademark agent.

Marcel’s work experience includes having been in charge of the technology transfer office at McMaster University overseeing all sponsored research, patenting and commercialization activities of the university from 1997 to 2006. He also has experience in the manufacturing, hospitality and information technology industries. Marcel has served on the boards of his local chamber of commerce, the Canadian Council of Better Business Bureaus, the International Association of University Technology Managers and the Canadian University Intellectual Property Group.

In 2006, he was awarded the “Order of the Beaver” by the Association for the Commercialization of Canadian Technology (ACCT) for his efforts in education and support of the technology transfer profession in Canada and internationally.

Joseph N. Anawati is the business development manager for the Canadian Wood Fibre Centre (CWFC) of Natural Resources Canada’s Canadian Forest Service (CFS).

Joseph’s activities include setting up the business processes for the Centre, including finance and human resources along with all the partnering activities. He is also the liaison between the CWFC and FPInnovation in Pointe-Claire Quebec. He brings his background in forest engineering, heavy equipment sales, pulp and paper, intellectual property and business development to assist Canadian industry to maximize their benefit from CFS research.

Joseph is a graduate of the University of New Brunswick in Forest Engineering. He is a member of the Licensing Executive Society and the Association of University Technology Managers and is also registered as a Professional Engineer in the Province of Ontario.


Ray Hoemsen, P.Eng. has held numerous leadership positions in the public and private sectors or as a volunteer in his community and profession. Since 1986, he has specialized in the “business of science” and is the former director of the University of Manitoba’s Industry Liaison Office, as well as the vice-president/director of operations for the university’s Smart Park Development Corporation.

Since 2001, as president of NEXUS Manitoba – a management consulting firm specializing in technology-driven economic development and the “business of science” – his assignments have included: advice to municipalities and universities concerning research park development, planning for a university-based incubator, spinoff company creation for a university, early-stage intellectual property management and commercialization of paediatric research.

Ray was appointed in June 2004 as director, Applied Research & Commercialization at Red River College. Ray recently completed a 17-month halftime secondment to the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council where he served as the visiting executive/manager of NSERC-Prairies.


Dr. Edmund Mupondwa works for the Bioproducts and Bioprocesses National Science Program of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada – based at Saskatoon Research Centre – where he provides leadership in techno-economics/bio-economics as applied to scientific principles, methodology, practices and technology innovation and development in bioproducts and bioprocesses, biotechnology, genomics and intellectual property valuation and commercialization.

He has a multidisciplinary academic background including a Master’s degree from the University of Manchester, England, a Ph D. from the University of Manitoba, Canada and an MBA (specializing in biotechnology management) from the University of Saskatchewan. Dr. Mupondwa has led very successful programs in research, strategic planning and technology valuation and transfer.

He has extensive international experience in Africa, Europe, North America and Central America. He has wide experience in conducting negotiations and establishing partnerships with a broad range of stakeholders and collaborators. He has served as government representative in multilateral and bilateral technical co-operation agreements.



Joe Meating,President and Director, Forest Surveys and Protection, BioForest Technologies Inc. From 1980 to 1996, Joe was the forest insect control officer with the Forest Insect and Disease Survey unit of the Canadian Forest Service (CFS) in Ontario.

He worked with provincial and industry colleagues to develop pest management strategies and tactics for major forest pests such as spruce budworm, jack pine budworm and gypsy moth. In 1996, Joe left the CFS to become a major shareholder in BioForest Technologies Inc. As the director of Forest Surveys and Protection for Bioforest, Joe has been involved in developing and delivering a complete spruce budworm management program to the Province of Saskatchewan.

Joe collaborated with scientists from the Canadian Forest Service to develop TreeAzin™, a new systemic insecticide for protecting trees against a wide variety of damaging pests such as the emerald ash borer. Joe also managed and coordinated the research and development of the EcoJect® System, a tree injection system for the application of systemic pesticides into high value trees. Joe has a B.Sc. in Wildlife Biology and a M. Sc. in Mycology/Ecology from the University of New Brunsiwkc, as well as advanced training in forest entomology.

The cost to attend this one-day workshop is $40 per person (includes GST, full event, lunch, refreshments and networking). To register, contact: mguzzo@ssmic.com


For more info visit www.ssmic.com

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