(Syracuse, NY | May 8, 2023) The Office of Research and the College of Law have entered a partnership to combine the Office of Technology Transfer (OTT) and the Innovation Law Center (ILC) to advance the University’s goals in invention, innovation, and industry partnerships. This joint venture assumes responsibility for technology transfers and all aspects of the commercialization of research generated by faculty, researchers, students, and staff across Syracuse University’s schools and colleges.
“By incorporating the University’s Office of Technology Transfer within the College of Law’s Innovation Law Center, we leverage the expertise, resources, and infrastructure of our renowned program whose faculty, staff, and students specialize in IP protection, licensing, and moving new technologies and innovations from lab to market,” says College of Law Dean Craig M. Boise.
Boise also announced that Executive Director of the ILC Brian Gerling L’99, has been appointed a Professor of Practice on the Syracuse Law faculty. Gerling will provide operational oversight and strategic direction to the OTT as Special Advisor on Technology Transfer to Syracuse University’s Vice President of Research, Duncan Brown.
“Bringing the ILC and the OTT together will directly benefit the University by accelerating our technology transfer and commercialization processes and enabling law students to work with technologies and clients from within our campus,” says Brown. “With Executive Director Gerling at the helm, we will embark on an extensive strategic planning process to elevate the OTT as a gold standard for tech transfer offices among our peer research institutions.”
“The functions of a tech transfer office are perfectly suited for the ILC,” says Gerling. “Our core competencies in law and IP help to surface important legal issues and challenges early in the commercialization process which benefits clients enormously. We look forward to working with the University’s vast network of innovators and entrepreneurs, while also augmenting opportunities for our students to gain practical skills and prepare them for careers as IP and business lawyers.”
About Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university that advances knowledge across disciplines to drive breakthrough discoveries and breakout leadership. Our collection of 13 schools and colleges with over 200 customizable majors closes the gap between education and action, so students can take on the world. In and beyond the classroom, we connect people, perspectives, and practices to solve interconnected challenges with interdisciplinary approaches. Together, we’re a powerful community that moves ideas, individuals, and impact beyond what’s possible.
About the Innovation Law Center and Brian Gerling
The Innovation Law Center (ILC) educates students on the technical, legal, and business aspects of bringing new technologies to market. This experiential education launches careers in law firms, corporations, government agencies, tech transfer offices, consulting and investing firms, and beyond.
ILC students work together with Syracuse University engineering and business school students to advise clients on their intellectual property (IP) assets and deliver regulatory, patent, and market research to support the commercialization of those assets. They have completed hundreds of advisory projects on behalf of universities, federal research laboratories, technology development organizations, start-ups, established companies, and entrepreneurs. ILC faculty conduct classes on IP, patent law, entrepreneurship, tech commercialization, and related topics.
ILC students are eligible for tuition relief, scholarships, summer fellowships, and paid senior research associate positions through the Empire State Development’s Division of Science, Technology and Innovation (NYSTAR), which, since 2004, has designated the ILC as New York’s only Science and Technology Law Center.
ILC’s Executive Director and College of Law Professor of Practice, Brian Gerling, has had nearly two decades of intellectual property and commercial litigation experience. He is also Of Counsel at Barclay Damon LLLP, where his practice focuses on IP, data privacy, emerging technology, and economic development. He serves on the Board of the Central New York International Business Alliance and on the Technology Council of the Manufacturers Association of Central New York. In addition to his J.D., cum laude, from Syracuse University College of Law, Gerling holds a B.S. in Biology from the State University of New York at Binghamton.