Teresa A. Sullivan, Ph.D., a leading scholar in labor force demography and former provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at the University of Michigan, took office as the University of Virginia’s eighth president on Aug. 1, 2010.

In the following Q&A, she shares with us her vision for University innovation.

Patent Foundation: Having been exposed to innovative research coming out of the University of Michigan, the University of Texas system and now the University of Virginia, what are your thoughts on the role of academic technology transfer, in general and as it relates to U.Va.’s overall mission?

Teresa Sullivan: In the United States, universities are the big engines of research and development in everything from engineering, computer science and medical research to areas like organizational and financial innovation.

The University of Virginia has a vibrant research community, and technology transfer allows our research to have more impact by connecting it with the outside world. That’s good for our students, it’s good for us and it’s certainly good for the community.

PF: What is your long-term vision for innovation at U.Va.?

TS: I’d like us to be known as best-in-class for being friendly to innovation, so that when potential partners are looking for a university to work with, they think of U.Va. first. By the way, I think Thomas Jefferson would have liked that, too. He was exceedingly innovative, and I think that he would’ve been pleased for
the University to continue this aspect of his legacy.

PF: What can those of us involved in translational research at the University do to help make that vision a reality?

TS: We need to look for barriers that we can remove to make the process more convenient for inventors. Some barriers we can’t remove because they’re already put in place by, say, patent law, but we can help provide the know-how, easy-to-understand procedures and friendly atmosphere to help get inventors’ ideas out into the world.

PF: The School of Medicine recently added a technology commercialization section to its promotion and tenure application. What are your thoughts on including intellectual property, deals with industry, and entrepreneurial activity in tenure decisions?

TS: I’m in favor of seeing this activity considered as a plus-factor when somebody goes up for promotion. In the scientific community, this activity will never replace publishing in a peer-reviewed journal, but it is an important contribution, and I think it deserves to be recognized for that reason.

Technology commercialization also plays a role in faculty recruitment and retention, as newly minted Ph.D.s who come from an actively entrepreneurial department want to see the same thing when they arrive here. Accordingly, it’s important that we educate graduate students about their intellectual-property rights and the value of technology commercialization. If we’re not doing that for our graduate students, we’re putting them at a disadvantage when they go out to look for their first job.

PF: As the U.Va. innovation ecosystem continues to grow and evolve, what impact do you hope to see on the local community and throughout the region?

TS: I think that we certainly have the potential to create an ecology of organizations around the University, with spinoff companies and others whose jobs become dependent upon this new piece of the economy. Ultimately I can imagine a corridor along US-29 up to Dulles airport with a number of small, technology-intense firms that are also linked to one another, bringing in high-paying jobs, expanding the tax base, and offering our students possibilities for internships and even jobs after graduation.

PF: We’re seeing an upswing in the number of companies spinning out of the University. What would you like to say to our readers who are considering starting a new technology venture?

TS: That’s the direction that we’d like to move, and I think that’s wonderful. To those of you who are entrepreneurially inclined and interested in starting a company around your discoveries, we’d like to help you make that happen, because we see that as being of mutual benefit to the University and to the inventor. And when you’re ready, the U.Va. Patent Foundation is the place to start.

For more information about Sullivan and her priorities, see www.virginia.edu/president.