Do you have a great concept that addresses a market need or solves a business challenge, but don’t know how to find the technology to power your idea? Or are you an entrepreneur who wants to find a commercial strategy for an exciting technology coming out of a research lab?

The Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC) and the Georgia Tech Research Corporation (GTRC) are co-hosting a panel discussion, “How to License Georgia Tech IP,” on August 22 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. The event, which will be held in ATDC’s Community Room at 75 5thSt. NW in Atlanta, is designed to help entrepreneurs learn how to access the Institute’s research findings and commercialize them into viable technology companies. (Register here.)

ATDC is the state of Georgia’s technology incubator helping entrepreneurs launch and scale technology companies. GTRC is the contracting unit for all of Tech’s sponsored research activities. It also licenses intellectual property (IP) developed by Institute faculty and students — including patents, software, and copyrights, among other components.

“We often hear from entrepreneurs that they have an idea or have identified a problem their idea solves, but they don’t know how to go about finding the technology around which to build their company,” said ATDC Interim Director Jane McCracken. “Or, if they know they can tap into Georgia Tech’s vast research expertise, they don’t know exactly where to go or how to start that process.

“So, with this event, we’re giving entrepreneurs and the public at large an opportunity to better understand how to do that and how we at ATDC and GTRC can be resources to help them access Georgia Tech intellectual property.”

The panelists — which include the founders of three companies that have licensed technology developed at the Institute — will share their respective journeys and insights into building their companies using Tech IP.

McCracken will moderate the panel, which is comprised of:

• Musheer Ahmed: founder and CEO, FraudScope
• Finn Findley: CEO, Quest Renewables
• Jim Stratigos: founder and CTO, Cognosos
• Scott Bryant: managing partner, Hutchison PLLC
• Terry Bray: director of technology licensing, GTRC

“This panel illustrates the myriad of ways entrepreneurs can license and leverage Georgia Tech-created IP to form new companies,” Bray said. “Musheer is a Tech Ph.D who created his company from the research he conducted, while Finn, who has no Tech affiliation, licensed technology from GTRC for his startup, and Jim is a serial entrepreneur.”

Many entrepreneurs have questions regarding IP law and standards governing licensing, Bray said. Panelist Scott Bryant, an attorney who regularly counsels clients on commercializing university IP, will address that aspect of licensing technology.

“ATDC and GTRC want attendees to have a comprehensive understanding of how they can plug into Georgia Tech and how we can help them create strong companies,” Bray said. “Licensing technology and navigating the university IP landscape can be daunting, but we want this to serve as a blueprint for entrepreneurs.”

About the Advanced Technology Development Center

The Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC), a program of the Georgia Institute of Technology, is the state of Georgia’s technology startup incubator. Founded in 1980 by the Georgia General Assembly which funds it each year, ATDC’s mission is to work with entrepreneurs in Georgia to help them learn, launch, scale, and succeed in the creation of viable, disruptive technology companies. Since its founding, ATDC has grown to become one of the longest running and most successful university-affiliated incubators in the United States, with its graduate startup companies raising $3 billion in investment financing and generating more than $12 billion in revenue in the state of Georgia. To learn more, visit atdc.org.

About the Georgia Tech Research Corporation

The Georgia Tech Research Corporation (GTRC) is a state chartered 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation serving the Georgia Institute of Technology. GTRC serves as the contracting entity for all sponsored research activities at Georgia Tech. It also protects and licenses intellectual property (patents, software, copyrights, etc.) created at Georgia Tech. Through technology transfer, GTRC enables the Institute to maintain strong partnerships with the public and private sectors to assure the benefits of discovery are widely disseminated. For more information, visit industry.gatech.edu.

To view intellectual property currently available for licensing, visit technologies.gtrc.gatech.edu.