ANN ARBOR—A new National Advisory Board for University of Michigan Tech Transfer has been established to help guide the University’s efforts in commercializing its technologies. The new board will advise the U-M Office of Technology Transfer and its satellite offices in the Medical School and College of Engineering. "We are delighted to have a world-class group of industry leaders to assist us in accelerating the transfer of University of Michigan inventions into the marketplace," says Fawwaz T. Ulaby, U-M vice president for research. The board consists of 13 individuals selected from across the U.S. with backgrounds in entrepreneurship, venture capital, industry research, finance, government and law. Ken Nisbet, executive director of U-M Tech Transfer, says a main objective for the board is to provide strategic direction and links to resources for start-up companies and licensing opportunities. "From leaders of well-established companies to early-stage entrepreneurs, from IT to biotech, we have assembled a team that is capable of providing invaluable counsel and connections to accelerate our progress," he says. "With their help, we can transfer even more U-M technologies for the public good." Board members include: Board chair Rick Snyder, chief executive officer, Ardesta; Thomas Bumol, vice president, Research Technologies and Proteins, Eli Lilly and Co.; David Canter, senior vice president and director, Pfizer Inc.; John Denniston, chief operating officer, Kleiner, Perkins, Caulfield and Byers; Jan Garfinkle, managing partner, Arboretum Ventures; Tom Kinnear, executive director, Zell-Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies at the U-M Business School; Ken Pelowski, Pinnacle Ventures Management; Thomas Porter, general partner, EDF Ventures; Doug Rothwell, president and chief executive officer, Michigan Economic Development Corp.; Chuck Salley, CAS Ventures; Michael Staebler, partner, Pepper Hamilton; Teri Wiley, managing partner, Arch Development Partners; and Marcel Gani, executive vice president and chief financial officer, Juniper Networks Inc.

About U-M Tech Transfer The U-M has one of the largest, most diverse and most successful research programs in the world. The U-M Tech Transfer group actively seeks partners to assist in getting the benefits of this research to the public. In the past five years, the University has launched 34 companies and executed 233 licenses with established companies. Information concerning the University’s technology transfer activities can be found at www.techtransfer.umich.edu