Job Details

Associate, Intellectual Property Management and Licensing

Position Number: 6377127
Location: Albany, NY
Position Type: Sponsored Programs, Grants, and Contracts

Associate, Intellectual Property Management and Licensing

Category:Administrative and Professional
Department:Industry & External Affairs
Locations:Albany, NY
Posted:Jul 11, 2025
Closes:Open Until Filled
Type:Exempt
Salary Type:Annually
PositionID:190269

About The Research Foundation for SUNY:
The Research Foundation for The State University of New York (RF) is the largest comprehensive university-connected research foundation in the country.

Our mission is to provide talent, services, and technology that empower SUNY to research, innovate, and transfer discoveries that transform the world's knowledge economy.

Our vision is to make SUNY the best place for faculty, students, and staff to research, innovate and solve the world's most pressing problems.

The RF serves SUNY by providing essential administrative services that enable faculty to focus their efforts on educating students and performing life-changing research across a wide range of disciplines including Artificial Intelligence, Clean Energy, Biotechnology, Longevity, Substance Addiction, Nextgen Quantum Computing, Environmental Health, and Resiliency.We work with the academic and business leadership of SUNY campuses to facilitate research and discovery by administering sponsored projects and delivering intellectual property and technology transfer services that fuel innovation and move ideas and inventions to the marketplace.

The RF is committed to diversity, inclusion, and a working environment that enhances productivity creates personal and professional opportunities, unleashes everyone's full potential, and fuels innovation. We hold the organization and each other to the highest standards of integrity, accountability, and ethical behavior.
Visitwww.rfsuny.organd connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Learn about SUNY atwww.suny.edu.

Job Description:
Why should you want to work with us? You could work anywhere, but you choose to work with us because you want to make a difference in the world by challenging yourself creatively, being part of a close-knit team that works hard and always has each other's backs. You seek an opportunity to make life-changing impacts that touch people across the world and want to pursue your dream job that applies your unique skills to defining the future of technology development in New York and beyond.

FUNCTION & SCOPE:
The Research Foundation for The State University of New York is seeking an energetic, results-oriented Senior Associate for Business Development and Licensing to support its Industry and External Affairs (IEA) team and help make SUNY the best place for researchers and innovators to solve the world's most pressing problems, and connect those solutions with partners that translate them into products and services that will transform lives.

The Associate will proactively partner with and build strong relationships with SUNY's research community. You will analyze and drive decisions related to SUNY's research and intellectual property portfolio based on your understanding of market trends and opportunities. Your technical knowledge will enable you to assess and evaluate new technologies disclosed by research from across the SUNY enterprise for patentability and marketability. The Associate will collaborate closely with other team members to engage researchers in technology transfer and commercialization, with a focus on disclosure mining and setting assessment priorities. You will collaborate with team members to identify and implement technology marketing campaigns using multiple platforms to generate business prospects and commercialization partners. Associates will work collaboratively with each other and other team members to self-assign themselves as the "responsible party" or "point of contact" for all technologies, disclosures, and internal and external contacts utilizing IEA services. You are empowered to make strategic decision regarding invention, technology, and intellectual property management, as long as those decisions support IEA goals, and the mission of RF, and align with best practices and industry norms (i.e., AUTM's Nine Points). The Associate is also empowered to support and sometimes lead the negotiations of confidentiality agreements, inter-institutional agreements, materials transfer and testing agreements, and technology licenses.

To be successful in this position, you will be a constant learner; you will utilize data to drive decisions, you will focus on outcomes and setting priorities. You will continuously develop your knowledge of SUNY's intellectual property and research assets, and you will always be identifying and assessing opportunities. You must be conversant, comfortable, and confident with academic and commercial partners and capable of leading conversations that are very technical in nature. If you are ambitious, curious, enthusiastic about technology, and outgoing, enjoy teamwork, thrive when continually challenged, and delight in opportunities for deep engagement with some of the world's brightest scientists, then this is a great opportunity for you.
The Associate will report to the Director of Intellectual Property and Licensing and focus primarily on supporting life sciences research across SUNY including biotechnology, diagnostics, therapeutics, and medical devices while remaining flexible to support other domains as needed.

DUTIES:

Lead innovator (faculty, students, staff) engagement efforts to proactively identify new intellectual property (patentable and non-patentable) that should be disclosed. Such efforts include delivering presentations on the technology transfer process and the services IEA offers to the SUNY community at department chair meetings, student clubs, campus research event, etc. Utilize various tools including RF's Report Center to proactively identify research teams with a high potential of new intellectual property generation and educate teams on the disclosure process, intellectual property, commercialization, and all the services IEA provides across the enterprise. This is the Discovery step in RF's Technology Transfer Lifecycle.
Work collaboratively with Innovation Asset Manager and IP Assistant and Compliance Coordinator to ensure all disclosures are accurately captured in Minuet and that all sponsor (e.g., federal, state, private) reporting requirements are addressed using the appropriate tool (e.g., iEdison)
Complete Disclosure Evaluation Reports (DER) which are intellectual property and market opportunity assessments of new technology disclosures by conducting web- and subscription-based patent searches and market research to evaluate the patentability and commercial potential of inventions; deliver all DERs timely (i.e., within 60 days after full disclosure) to inventors and other stakeholders; revise and iterate upon previously completed DERs with updated information; use recommendations in DERs as a tool to ensure ongoing engagement with inventor(s) and creator (s) to ensure commitment; ensure preliminary intellectual property protection strategy (e.g., file provisional, await further research results) is documented, shared, and expectations are understood by campus constituencies. This is the Evaluation and Assessment step in RF's Technology Transfer Lifecycle.
Engage patent counsel, as needed, to develop and implement IP protection strategies for all technologies. This is the IP Protection step in RF's Technology Transfer Lifecycle.
Lead the initial Customer Discovery step in RF's Technology Transfer Lifecycle by leveraging all resources available (i.e., students, contractors, Google, LicenseLeads, Tradespace, Minuet CRM) by being resourceful and reaching out to potential end users or customers of a disclosed technology, and engage with subject matter experts to gain practical intelligence to help inform the short and long-term IP management and commercialization plan for a technology. This is the Customer Discovery step in RF's Technology Transfer Lifecycle.
Proactively support Business Development and Licensing Managers and sometimes lead the development and implementation of marketing and licensing strategies to transition innovation developed at campuses across the enterprise to the market, which includes regular attendance at various events (e.g., BIO, LifeSciencesNY, SEMICON, LES, AUTM, etc.), identifying and connecting external partners to the business development and licensing team; curating leads and conducting all necessary follow up to maintain relationships with external partners, with a focus on industry, and building a network of subject matter experts that can provide advice. This is the Marketing and Partnering step in RF's Technology Transfer Lifecycle.
Responsible for supporting the management of all contracts, agreements, MOUs, and other vehicles used to support the RF Technology Transfer Lifecycle and this may include sending licensees patent cost reimbursement invoices, royalty invoices, agreement default letters, etc. as articulated in the agreement, and ensures all campus and inventor royalty payments are timely processed.
Represent IEA professionally and regularly on campuses across the enterprise; prioritize building a comprehensive and regular campus trip schedule to share with campus constituencies (primarily the RF Operations Manager); seek out and be present at campus events that provide a lens into local research and entrepreneurial activities; set goals for each visit; and ensure to communicate all planned visits, resulting goals, impacts, and other stories to the team to enhance IEAs goal of selling and telling the story of research and innovation at SUNY.
Provides campuses customers with superior service, guidance, and recommendation to enable leadership to make decisions on patent costs and other decisions on matters campuses rely on IEA to lead.
Support the Innovation Analytics and Metrics Reporting functions of IEA by contributing to presentations and other communications vehicles to report IEAs' impacts and outcomes to various internal and external constituencies.
Consult with appropriate Sponsored Programs personnel to identify correct sponsorship and assist in completion of reporting required for RF compliance with obligations to federal, state, industry, or foundation sponsor(s), including invention reporting for all disclosures managed by IEA.
Travel regularly to campuses and other locations having a target of visiting each centralized/ integrated campus at least once per year and spend two to three days embedded at each campus.
Document all work in Minuet.
Assist in the patent prosecution process by performing prior art searches, drafting patent summaries and detailed descriptions and related analysis; prepare non-confidential and technical information for marketing campaigns; collaborate with inventors to prepare successful proof-of-concept and other funding proposals.
Other duties as assigned to support IEAs goals and the mission of RF.

The ideal candidate will have:

A passion for science and technology and knowledge of the regulated process of transitioning technology from the academic bench to qualified industry partners for the development of products and services that impact human health and welfare. Candidates from all technical disciplines will be considered, candidates with advanced degrees will be more competitive.
An advanced degree (Master's or PhD) in life sciences is preferred.
Strong primary and secondary research skills.
Familiarity with the regulatory environment within the area of expertise (e.g., FDA).
Experience with patent portfolio management; patent agent credential is a plus.
Excellent interpersonal and communication skills; comfortable engaging with diverse stakeholders including researchers, inventors, teaching faculty, entrepreneurs, business leaders at all levels, administrators, students, and representatives of all levels of local, state, and federal government.
A can-do attitude, flexibility, and collaborative spirit.
A proven track record of success in innovation, commercialization, or tech transfer.
CLP or RTTP Accreditation.

Requirements:
Candidates must have:

A bachelor's and master's degree in a life sciences disciple. A doctorate (MD or PhD) is preferred.
Experience conducting research in a university setting.
Experience writing proposals for scientific research.
Experience designing and executing research projects.
At least four years of experience working in technology transfer, business development or intellectual property.
Experience managing patent portfolio.

Compensation for this position:Thecompensation for this role is between $80,006 - 95,526. Thepay will depend on a variety of factors that may include but are not limited to experience, education, training, and certifications.

Additional Information:
As an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action Employer, The Research Foundation for SUNY will not discriminate in its employment practices due to an applicant's race, color, creed, religion, sex, pregnancy-related conditions, reproductive health decisions, childbirth or related medical conditions, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, transgender status, age, national origin or ancestry, marital status, familial status, citizenship, physical and mental disability, prior arrest or conviction record, genetic characteristics/genetic information, predisposition or carrier status, domestic violence victim status, military status or service, veteran status, or any other characteristics protected under federal, state or local law. The Company will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant.
The Company will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant.

Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled.

The Research Foundation for the State University of New York is not an agency or instrumentality of the State of New York. Employees of the Research Foundation for the State University of New York are not state employees, do not participate in any state retirement system, and do not receive state fringe benefits. The Research Foundation for the State University of New York operates under a contract with The State University of New York and receives no directly appropriated state funding

Application Instructions:
Applicants interested in applying MUST submit the following documents:
1. Resume/Cv
2. Cover Letter

After submitting your resume/CV, the subsequent pages enable you to upload your cover letter and additional documents.

Returning Applicants - Login to your RF SUNY Careers Account to review your application.

To apply, visit: https://rfsuny.interviewexchange.com/jobofferdetails.jsp;jsessionid=9C4E76E8221FC26B37BE0A16BC12D7EB?JOBID=190269