Major Functions

(a) Management and Protection of HKUST Intellectual Property

• Monitor inventions, discoveries, copyrighted works and technical information arising from HKUST research works
• Conduct technology review and market assessment for commercialization opportunity
• Handle patent applications and administration
• Intellectual Property portfolio cultivation and management
• Protect HKUST’s Intellectual Property rights
• Organize Intellectual Property seminars for the HKUST community

(b) Technology Marketing

• Establish contacts with industry and public sector both locally and overseas
• Prepare and update marketing materials to promote the University’s research outputs
• Organize open-innovation workshops, industry days and sharing sessions for technology dissemination
• Organize and participate in technology exhibitions and fairs

(c) Seek Research Collaborations and Funding from Industry

• Identify potential collaborative opportunities and partners
• Solicit industrial funding for collaborative research projects
• Solicit industrial sponsorship for matching government funding applications

(d) Technology Licensing and Commercialization

• License HKUST technology to industrial partners worldwide
• Manage and operate HKUST Proof-of-Concept Fund

(e) Project and Contract Development

• Assist faculty in forming industrial collaborative projects through careful planning and due diligence
• Negotiate terms for collaborative research projects and industry-sponsored research projects
• Assist in the settlement of Non-Disclosure Agreements / Materials Transfer Agreements, technology licensing and collaborative research contracts and inter-institutional Intellectual Property agreements

 (f) Enhance Entrepreneurial Technology Transfer and Start-up Incubation

• Support the creation of start-up companies and entrepreneurship activities
• Manage and operate Technology Startup Support Scheme for University (TSSSU) and HKUST Entrepreneurship Fund (E-Fund) to synergize with other entrepreneurial efforts in HKUST
• Develop other Startup Accelerators or funding schemes to facilitate proactive engagement of internal staff and students in entrepreneurial technology transfer
• Organize promotional activities to expose HKUST start-ups to potential industrial partners or investors