As part of the United Arab Emirates University's ambitious vision and in response to the directives of His Excellency Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Chancellor of UAEU, the Intellectual Property and Transfer of Technology Office from the Department of the Deputy Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Studies, organized a symposium on Intellectual Property and the Transfer of Technology on Monday, Nov 23rd, 2015. It was held at UAEU Science and Innovation Park as part of Innovation Week.
Professor Ghaleb Ali Al Hadrami, Deputy Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Studies, welcomed experts on patent protection and the transfer of technology alongside faculty and students. He hoped the discussion would promote innovation, excellence and creativity as the UAE seeks to develop and commercialize technology, as well as facilitate the transfer of knowledge and experience throughout the community. This is all part of the strategic vision of UAEU.
Dr. Mohammed Al Hemairy, Head of the Intellectual Property and Transfer of Technology Department explained intellectual property rights, how to market technology, and UAEU's vision of strengthening creativity and innovation as well as establishing a culture of excellence and innovation to support UAEU at regional and international levels. The university can help with registering patents and the transfer of technology.
Dr. Jonathan Fleming from Oxford Bioscience Venture Capital, a senior lecturer at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, USA delivered a lecture on intellectual property rights entitled, 'Commercializing Innovation in Energy, Water, Biotechnology and the Electronics Industries', in which he talked about how to market inventions and transfer technology from a laboratory to industrial products.
There was also a panel discussion on intellectual property, law, and the transfer of technology. This involved Nicholas Lafave, a patent and technology transfer expert from IP and Emerging Technologies, USA; James Kinnaird, a patent attorney from Marks and Clerk International, USA; and Dr. Mohammed Hemairy, Head of Intellectual Property and the Transfer of Technology at UAEU.
There was interaction and discussion between faculty, students and experts in the field. The speakers responded to questions from students, researchers and faculty about the future potential to transform ideas into products and the commercialization of these products. They also dealt with competition, property rights, legal frameworks and the principle of invention disclosure.
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The symposium was sponsored by the Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore Oil Operations Ltd. (ADCO) and the Abu Dhabi Education Council.