In March, the 2025 AUTM conference took place in Washington DC.
Robert Al, MBA, RTTP, director Technology Transfer Office (TTO) Erasmus MC, and Carmen Correa M., LLM-RTTP, coordinator TTO team, attended this pivotal event. While celebrating 50 years of AUTM making history in tech transfer, our colleagues together with tech transfer professionals around the world indulged themselves into the future of innovations and tech transfer insights boosting their networking, acquiring incredible experience and inspiration.
Towards the end of the conference Carmen was invited to join a mission to “The Hill”. Carmen Correa was the AUTM international guest during AUTM on the Hill. On Thursday March 6, armed with a stack of meticulously prepared documents and a passion for supporting academic research that is the genesis of many inventions, a group of about 80 of Carmen’s fellows technology transfer professionals from USA Technology Transfer offices and member of AUTM Board took a trip to the USA Capitol to meet different Representatives and advocate for research funding, its importance for the advancement of knowledge and its significance in addressing unmet needs for a better world. The group was divided in small sub-groups to visit different representatives and deliver the message. Carmen was assigned to the sub-group meeting the Representative of Virginia State (currently Democrat) together with Tatiana Litvin-Vechnyak (Georgetown and AUTM Board member) and Josh Mauldin (Virginia University).
Carmen reports: “I was very excited with the invitation to be part of such a relevant mission, and in my mind how the research cuts affect Erasmus MC, as recipient of NIH funding, and its collaboration with so many researchers in the USA that regularly work together in many projects. In particular, research at the Viroscience department which is very close to my heart, recipient of significant NIH funding, and it is affected by these cuts. It felt very good to join the AUTM mission as the international guest representing those that beside my AUTM fellows in the USA work every day supporting innovators at research institutions anywhere, in a similar fashion we work in Erasmus MC Technology Transfer Office.”
How did you feel about being there on a mission?
“As I entered the offices on the Hill, I couldn't help feeling a mix of curiosity and determination. It was very interesting to be part of an air buzzed with the energy of countless important conversations happening simultaneously in preparation for the meetings. I followed my group leader navigating through the labyrinthine corridors, finally arriving at the office of Representative.
At the entrance the USA flag and the Virginia State flag and a small book to record the visitors, once inside the office, we briefly described our mission and a staff of the Representative office that led our meeting was very engaged, we remarked that as she knows, the recent cuts to research funding have had a profound impact on our scientific community. Projects that hold the potential to revolutionize medicine, technology, and environmental issues are now at risk.
The staff nodded and reflected genuine concern. It seemed that the Representative office understands how serious is the situation. And asked to provide some specific examples of how these cuts have affected ongoing research and what impact may have to individuals in her State and beyond. We described a series of anecdotes, highlighting groundbreaking studies that had been halted or scaled back due to the funding cuts.
What were the main topics you touched upon?
“We spoke about research projects that had have significant impact resulted from academic research that was or has been supported by research funding, such as the invention of the MRI, HPV vaccine, COVID solutions, influenza strain selection for seasonal vaccine development as well as many other outside the life science, showing why academic research funding is paramount to society. Our future depends on innovation and scientific advancement that requires reliable and consistent funding in a way that only public funds can provide, especially at the fundamental stage.
We discussed potential strategies for restoring the funding, including bipartisan efforts and public awareness campaigns. I wish I also have had the opportunity to meet another Representative that would be from the Republican side to hear what their views were, but I trust those members of the AUTM mission that meet those representatives managed to awake and persuade them to support the efforts to restore research funding.
We ended the mission hopeful that Representatives would bring this issue to the forefront of their agenda and work to support research funding. And I feel proud to have been part of it.”
AUTM is the Association of University Technology Managers established in the USA to share best practices and provide training to professional working at University technology transfer offices, and to advocate for matter that may affect innovation support, while “transforming ideas into opportunities” this organization follows the steps of LES, the licensing executive society that gathers professionals involved on matters related to intellectual property and licensing in any sector, while AUTM focus on the academic sector. Carmen is member of AUTM, active in the webinar committee (volunteer award 2024) and President of LES BENELUX one of the 33 regional societies under the LES umbrella worldwide.
