Vladimir Marik - Czech Technical Univ - Stanford - Feb 14 2011

Technology Transfer and Spin-offs
at
Czech Technical University
(CTU)

Vladimír MAŘÍK

Department of Cybernetics
EU Center of Excellence
Czech Technical University in Prague
Prague, Czech Republic
marik@labe.felk.cvut.cz
http://cyber.felk.cvut.cz/
Department of Cybernetics, Czech Technical University

Czech Technical University in Prague

Established in 1707

2nd oldest Technical University in
Europe

24.000 students

A. Einstein, E. Mach, N. Tesla


CTU position in rankings
QS World University Rankings 2010 - Engineering & Technology
1 Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) United States
2 Stanford University United States
3 University of California, Berkeley (UCB) United States

120 Duke University, United States
121 Czech Technical University In Prague Czech Republic
122 École des Ponts, ParisTech France
123= University of Amsterdam A* Netherlands
123= University of Southern California (USC) United States

"Where do we stand globally"
#2 in former Eastern Europe & Russia (after #1 96 Lomonosov Moscow
State U.)
#2 in Central Europe (after #1 98 TU Vienna)
We are trying hard (Technology and Engineering ranking):
CTU: 121 (2010), 171 (2009), 228 (2008) , 359(2007).


Research orientation:
- Artificial Intelligence
- Machine Learning & Robotics
- Computer Vision & Perception
- Biomedical Engineering

155 academic staff members (110 FTE):
 20 faculty members
 82 research fellows and 53 Ph.d. students

Mission Objectives:
 Perform internationally recognized research, build teams of research
excellence
 Support industrial acceptance of research
 Demonstrate potential of industry-university cooperation
 Undergraduate and graduate education in the field of cybernetics

EU Center of Excellence since 2000


Selected Industrial Contracts and Grants

 Rockwell Automation: Distributed artificial intelligence
 BAE Systems: UAV collision avoidance systems
 Medtronic: SW for pacemakers and other medical devices
 Honeywell: Observing people with video cameras
 TOYOTA Motor Corporation: Computer vision - blue sky research
 Volkswagen: Image processing from a moving car
 DENSO Automotive: Agent-based on-board car diagnostics
 CADENCE Design Systems: Multi-agent modeling of IC design process
 Samsung: Reconstruction of images
 Google: Image-based search, security systems
 Texas Instruments: Control and interfacing of digital cameras
 Hitachi: Image processing and face recognition
 Siemens: Planning and scheduling for in-store logistics
 US Air Force Research Lab, U.S.Navy Research, U.S. Army, NASA:
Deployment of Agent-based technology


Department Know-How Transfer Vehicles

Start-up and Spin-off Companies:

 CERTICON, a.s.: (100+ employees): Software Development, Network
Integration Services, Software Testing, Predictive Algorithms, Planning
and Scheduling, ASIC Design
 ProTyS, a.s.: (43) Real-time Control Software Development & Testing,
Intelligent Control, Fuzzy Logics
 NeoVision s.r.o.: (21): Computer Vision
 Eydea, s.r.o. (5): Image Processing
 Cognitive Security, s.r.o.(2): Network Security
 AgentFly Technologies, s.r.o. (2): Air Traffic Control

National Center for Applied Cybernetics (Competence Center):
CTU, TU Brno, WBU, Academy of Science, CertiCon, Neovision+ 7 other
companies.
The main goal: Technology Transfer, Spreading Excellence


Czech Institute of Informatics and Cybernetics
• Center of Research Excellence
• 36.000 sqm, 450 researchers
• Incubator (15-20 spin-offs), representative offices of large companies
(IBM, Honeywell, Google, Microsoft..)
• State-of-the-art, competitive and self-sustainable institution


Technology Transfer

 Technology Transfer Models
- Contracts
- Patents
- Licensing
- Joint Research Labs
- Start-ups (e.g. CertiCon, a.s.)
- Spin-offs (e.g. Cognitive Security, s.r.o.)
- Centers for Technology Transfer (Competence Centers)
- Incubators
- Technology Parks

 None of the models can be implemented without efforts of both
the stakeholders (university and industry/enterpreneur)


Industrial Stakeholders of the Technology Transfer

 AT Departments of the Headquarters of strong international
companies or their local branches (Honeywell, Rockwell, IBM, Logica,
Toyota, Denso): some of them decided to build a local AT branch (e.g.
Honeywell, Rockwell Automation or CA) to leverage the “local” research
results

 US governmental agencies/services, like US AFRL, ONR, NASA, EPA,
FAA, who try to fund/co-fund early stages of very promising research
activities

 Venture capitalists, usually coming from US, Israel, lately also from
India

 Local SMEs, e.g. SPEL, Cygni, AWIK, which are looking for governmental
support to arrange the transfer


Industrial Stakeholders of the Technology Transfer

 Czech companies are usually quite weak and they don’t understand
 the need in financial contribution to ensure a smooth technology
transfer
 that knowledge and IPR play the role of commercial
commodities which enter the market
 All IPR gained using governmental or public funding belongs
to the University, only the specific part of IPR resulting from
private/industrial funding belongs to the body which funded
it


Technology Transfer Models

 Business Contracts
- Short-term or long-term
- IPR fully owns the body who provides funding (= industry)

 Patents
- no sense to patent in the Czech Republic
- we usually patent in the US using US lawyers, and then extend
the patent to cover EU countries and/or Japan
- some patents are joint patents with foreign companies
- in the Czech Republic: industrial pattern is a simple form of
invention registration and provides good protection
- in general: patents are expensive and provide good protection
only in the case you are really ready to invest enough money
(>EUR 1.5 mil) to fight and beat your competitors



 Licensing
- currently the most efficient, fast and transparent vehicle for a
technology transfer preferred by the University
- the University usually asks for
(i) a small fixed yearly fee, and
(ii) 5-10% of revenue

 Joint Research Labs
- very efficient in the case of a long-term cooperation with a strong
world leader (Microsoft, Cisco, IBM)
- IPR usually shared by the University and Company, or the
Company buys it out
- could potentially be converted into a company subsidiary (this did
happen in the case of Rockwell Automation Research Center,
Honeywell Technology Center, CA Development Center)



 Start-ups

- built by professors as long-term tools for University-Industry
transfer – to bridge the gap
- developers and engineers are employed to ensure various phases
of the product life cycle (namely design, implementation and
testing) exploring innovative ideas provided by the University
- based on licensing of the University IPRs
- the main difficulty: to properly manage the staff flow between
the company and the University


CertiCon
• Founded in 1996
• Headquarters in Prague, branch in Pilsen, Vienna-
Austria & San Jose-US (US MAC)
• 100+ SW Engineers & Researchers
• Dun & Bradstreet rating 1A1, DUNS 36-690-9096
• ISO 9001 certification UKAS, ANSI-RAB (BVQI)
• Business focus in consultancy, engineering and
outsourcing services:
• life and mission-critical systems

• decision support and productivity systems

• applied research

• ASIC design, verification and testing

• Revenue $ 8 mil in 2010
• Main customers: Medtronic, Teradyne, Cadence, IBM,
Bosch, Frequentis, Grundfos



 Spin-offs
- built to develop a sound idea into a specific product
- oriented to EXIT
- based on licensing of the University IPRs
- they suffer from lack of money
- they look for pre-seed investors and seed capital
- the main difficulty: to find good managers and business oriented
leaders (professors and researchers can play this role successfully
in exceptional cases, only)

 Incubators needed – we are in the initial phase:
- CTU Media Lab
- eClub: joint activity of CTU Media Lab & Credo Ventures
- Linkages with Plug-and-play Center are being built
- Part of the Czech Institute of Informatics and Cybernetics


Cognitive Security Start-up

Mission: Providing attack intelligence and last line of defense
against highly sophisticated attackers

Main Product: CognitiveOne is based on the CAMNEP intrusion detection
algorithm, developed at CTU. The solution in parts funded by the U.S.
Army, CERDEC under a grant W91 1NF-08-1-0250.
The technology spun-off into Cognitive Security s.r.o. by licensing from
CTU

History-in-brief:
 August 2009 - Cognitive Security was established, CertiCon’s pre-seed
funding
 January 2010 - CognitiveOne launched as commercial product
 April 2010 - Cognitive Security opens branch office in Silicon Valley, (CA,
USA), with the support of Czechinvest
 November 2010 - Second version of its CognitiveOne product
 February 2011 – Talks with a strong investor – Term Sheet to be signed


Centers and Technology Parks

 Technology Transfer Centers (Competence Centers):
- efficient if very narrowly focused towards specific technology
- very good experience with virtual competence centers

 Technology Parks:
 There are 21 of them in the Czech Republic, 2 of them useful
 Not very efficient, they don’t satisfy the needs of technology
transfer, very bureaucratic
 Very dangerous trend: EU funding used to build new buildings
for technology parks in regions (out of the capital city of Prague)
 CTU Technology Innovation Center:
– 4 administrators paid by the University,
– 4.000 sq feet of space
– provides space, courses
– no links with enterpreneurs, venture capitalists
– no guidance, no motivation

Government Financing Schemes

 The Government Financing Schemes for the early stages of the spin-
of companies mainly aimed at support of competence centers and
technology parks and explore – as a rule – the structural EU funding for
this purpose. These schemes provide just an indirect support to spin-off
and start-ups.

 New trend (under implementation) in 2011: Direct support to spin-
offs and start-ups:
 Pre-seed fund - $ 30 mil.
 Seed fund - $ 70 mil.
 These funds will be managed by experienced venture capitalists who
promised to add $ 50 mil.

 CTU: University Challenge Fund of $ 250 k to provide pre-seed
capital


Professors and Spin-offs

 There are no principle obstacles to form a spin-off by professors, CTU
supports their initiatives, but certain rules should be followed:

 Their business and academic activities should be clearly separated
 Either licencies should be paid (5-10% of revenue and/or exit price)
or shares of the company (20-30%) are awarded to the University
for exchange of IPR

 Main obstacles:
 Some professors not motivated enough, wanting to live in their
academic shells
 No reasonable advice provided at critical junctions (opportunity
recognition, business visions and plans, no links to experienced spin-
off advisors)


Conclusions

 Technology and innovative solutions available, many results cannot
be absorbed by local industry
 University management support to technology transfer provided,
very friendly atmosphere/environment
 Motivation and enthusiasm of researchers – in general - present, funding
is missing
 There is no efficient University infrastructure and environment to
absorb the funding (if there is any) in an appropriate way
 Lack of tradition and experience in venture investments
 We are trying to find the optimal methods for technology transfers
and spin-offs
 Licensing, start-ups and spin-offs are the most popular technology
transfer methods


Conclusions

 Government Financing Schemes are starting to directly help to spin-
offs financially:
 Czechinvest governmental agency: has selected the Plug-and-Play
Center as a place to learn, helps to bring spin-offs to Silicon Valley to
gather experience
 Support to private companies acting as technology transfer bodies –
privatization of the technology transfer area strongly needed


Vladimir Marik - Czech Technical Univ - Stanford - Feb 14 2011

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