Our History
The Office of Innovation Commercialization (OIC) was originally established in April of 2002. At that time it was known as the Office of Technology Transfer (OTT) and was directed by Jerry McGuire. During its first two years the OTT created a strong infrastructure, in large part to a grant between UNCG, N.C. A&T, and Action Greensboro that established the Technology Outreach at Nussbaum (TON). TON was established to perform invention assessments for the citizens of Greensboro, which allowed the OTT to hire four total licensing associates from the student body – two for the OTT and two for TON. It was around this time when the first innovation disclosures were submitted by faculty, staff, and students.
The next couple of years, 2004-2005, saw some key developments to the OTT. One of the most important developments was the creation of a website for the OTT, which allowed the OTT to serve as a portal for the campus and beyond to learn about innovation at UNCG. It also provided innovators with information on the commercialization process and the OTT's services. The OTT entered into two licensing agreements that produced the first two spin-out companies: (1) Partnership 4 Dynamic Learning; (2) Learning Together, LLC. During this time the UNCG Patent & Invention Policy was revised (facilitated by the OTT) and approved to increase the revenue sharing with UNCG innovators to 50%.
With 2004-2005 setting the tone for the years to come, 2006 and 2007 brought some important changes. The OTT added a full-time licensing associate to meet the growing needs of UNCG. Shortly thereafter the Office moved into a new location in the Moore Humanities & Research Administration Building. During this time period the OTT reached a total of four spin-out companies and royalty revenue exceeded $100,000. The OTT also added one more spin-out company later in the year with the creation of Prevention Strategies, LLC. Another key development for the OTT was the awarding of its first U.S. Patent – covering the "WaterChip" invention.
From 2007-2009 the OTT saw more growth through collaborations, additional patents, more start-ups, and internal restructuring. The OTT collaborated with N.C. A&T, Wake Forest, and the North Carolina Biotechnology Center to establish the Center for Innovation in Nanobiotechnology (COIN). The OTT was granted its first international patent for "Systems and Methods for Digital Content Security." Also during this time the eighth start-up company created out of UNCG innovation was established. 2009 saw major changes, as the Office of Research & Economic Development (ORED) was restructured. Jerry McGuire, who was Director of the OTT, was promoted to Associate Vice Chancellor for Economic Development, and Lisa Goble became the new Director of the OTT.
In 2010 the culture shift towards supporting innovative and entrepreneurial faculty would lead the OTT to a name change: The Office of Innovation Commercialization. The change was reflective of the diversity of activities across UNCG, not just in the technology sector, but innovation that was taking place all across campus. 2010 also resulted in a ground breaking collaboration between UNCG and N.C. A&T which resulted in the creation of the Joint School of NanoScience and NanoEngineering (JSNN), sure to provide many innovations in the years to come. UNCG promotion and tenure metrics were amended in 2010 to include patent and commercialization efforts of faculty, demonstrating the importance of innovation at UNCG and the efforts of the OIC.
To date the OIC has helped innovators form 10 local start-ups and continues to assist the faculty, staff, and students of UNCG with all their innovation needs. Lisa Goble has continued to serve as Director since her appointment in 2009 and the OIC has set itself up for the years to come with a strategic plan that can be found here.
