About the Commercialization Training Series

A collage of photos showing different UMaine research innovations with a blue text box in the center: Research to Real World Commercialization Training Series

Are you a Maine researcher with an innovative idea, cutting-edge technology, or unique curriculum? Do you have particular expertise or services to offer, but aren’t sure how to do it? 

Join us for the Commercialization Training Series, a collection of professional development workshops that will walk you through the process of delivering a product or service to the world and working with external partners.

This program is targeted for graduate students, faculty, and staff members across the University of Maine System, as well as members of other Maine research organizations. All are welcome!

We offer four core workshops and seven elective options. Participants can earn a completion certificate by attending all four core workshops and two of the seven electives. 

Core workshops:

  1. Kickoff to Commercialization
  2. Intellectual Property Bootcamp
  3. Working with External Partners
  4. Idea Validation

Electives: 

  1. Grant writing and Funding pathways
  2. Entrepreneurial Businesses
  3. SBIR/STTR Workshops
  4. Industry Collaborations and Licensing
  5. Commercialization in Education, Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts
  6. Ethics in Commercialization
  7. Regulatory Pathway for Medical Devices

Workshops for the current semester

All Commercialization Series workshops this semester will be offered via Zoom. Simply register below, and we will send you a link to attend.

Core workshops

Kickoff to Commercialization – 3/21/24

Learn the fundamentals of research commercialization in a university setting, understand the various pathways to the marketplace, get exposure to campus resources designed to assist faculty, and learn about additional professional development offerings planned for the year.

Working with External Partners – 4/4/24
Interested in solving problems for industry and finding new funding sources to support your research? Collaborating with external partners may be the ideal way to explore commercialization, and UMaine’s Department of Industrial Cooperation is here to help. In this workshop, you’ll learn all you need to know about external collaboration – how to get started, how to formalize relationships, and the steps you need to take to ensure success.

Intellectual Property Boot Camp – 4/18/24

Ever wonder if you could get a patent for your innovation? What about trademarks and copyrights? How do you determine the value of your intellectual property? IP can be a valuable asset, and its protection helps to foster innovation and R&D by ensuring that inventors can reap the benefits of their work. During IP Bootcamp, you will learn about the different types of intellectual property and key steps in evaluating and protecting intellectual property.

Register now via Eventbrite