Penn Center for Innovation
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| Penn Center for Innovation | |
|---|---|
| Name | Penn Center for Innovation |
| Type | Technology transfer office |
| Established | 1973 |
| Location | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Affiliation | University of Pennsylvania |
Penn Center for Innovation is the technology transfer and commercialization office associated with the University of Pennsylvania. It serves as the conduit between Penn inventors and external industry partners, facilitating licensing, startup formation, and intellectual property protection. The office operates within the innovation ecosystem of Philadelphia, interacting with regional institutions, federal agencies, and private investors to translate research into marketable products and services.
History
The organization traces roots to early university efforts to manage inventions originating from faculty affiliated with University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, and Wharton School. It developed alongside national shifts in research policy following the Bayh–Dole Act and paralleled offices at institutions such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, and Columbia University. Over decades it adapted to changes driven by collaborations with centers like Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Wistar Institute, and Monell Chemical Senses Center, while responding to funding patterns from agencies including the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, and Department of Energy.
Mission and Activities
The center's mission focuses on identifying inventions from faculty and staff at schools including School of Engineering and Applied Science, Annenberg School for Communication, and School of Arts and Sciences, then protecting and licensing technologies to companies such as Pfizer, GlaxoSmithKline, and Johnson & Johnson. Core activities include patent prosecution with law firms familiar with the United States Patent and Trademark Office process, evaluating commercial potential with inputs from investors linked to Sequoia Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, and local venture groups, and enabling startups that access incubators like Ben Franklin Technology Partners and accelerators such as Y Combinator.
Technology Commercialization Programs
Programs range from invention disclosure intake for researchers at facilities like Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine to sponsored research agreements with corporations including Merck and Bayer. The office runs technology assessment workshops featuring experts from National Institutes of Health Office of Technology Transfer, American Intellectual Property Law Association, and venture executives from firms like General Catalyst and Greylock Partners. It administers licensing frameworks for software, biologics, and devices, coordinating with standards bodies such as ISO and regulatory interactions involving the Food and Drug Administration for translational projects.
Industry Partnerships and Collaborations
Strategic partnerships connect Penn inventors with multinational companies, startups, and nonprofit organizations including Eli Lilly and Company, Novartis, Gilead Sciences, and Biogen. Collaborative agreements often involve joint development with academic hospitals such as Penn Presbyterian Medical Center and research institutions like Rockefeller University and Johns Hopkins University. The center also engages with economic development entities such as Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation, investor networks including Kleiner Perkins', and philanthropic funders like the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation to scale technologies.
Facilities and Incubation Services
To support spin-outs, the center coordinates access to wet lab and office space at innovation hubs including Pennovation Works, University City Science Center, and co-working spaces near 30th Street Station. It provides connections to prototyping resources at The Singh Center for Nanotechnology, clinical trial partners at Penn Medicine Rittenhouse, and manufacturing consultancies that work with firms like Thermo Fisher Scientific. Entrepreneurial training is offered through programs tied to Wharton Entrepreneurship, mentorship from alumni networks linked to Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and pitch forums attended by representatives from National Science Foundation I-Corps.
Impact and Notable Spin-offs
The office has facilitated licenses and startups that intersect with companies such as Spark Therapeutics, BridgeBio, and Lyell Immunopharma, contributing to regional biotech growth along with institutions like Drexel University and Temple University. Notable outcomes include therapies progressed toward approval with involvement from Food and Drug Administration pathways and platform technologies spun into entities that received funding rounds led by SV Health Investors and Roche Venture Fund. The center's activities have been cited in analyses of technology transfer by organizations such as Association of University Technology Managers and in case studies involving collaborations with IBM and Google.