Communications Research Centre, Technology Transfer Office

Leadership in Technology Transfer Award

Communications Research Centre Canada
Technology Transfer Office

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For an exemplary and longstanding record of technology transfer in Canada.

Harjit (Jeet) S. Hothi / Laura Cashen / Joe LeBlanc / Kevin Shackell / Sheryle Shelaga / Marg Stanton
Communications Research Centre Canada - Technology Transfer Office

Take five dedicated and passionate individuals, mix in a talent for creativity, add a dash of daring entrepreneurship, and bind with mutual respect and open communications. The result? Leadership, innovation, and a long list of "best ofs" and "first evers".

This, in a nutshell, is the Technology Transfer Office (TTO) of the Communications Research Centre Canada (CRC). In a world where "leveraging" is key, this five-person team manages an awe-inspiring portfolio of over 200 patents and 300 licenses. Combine that with the Centre's 140 collaborations, as well as the 80 companies CRC has guided through technology transfer activities, and you have the highest per capita number of IP transactions and spin-offs of any federal laboratory in Canada.

Equally impressive is the fact that, in 2001-02, with an overall CRC budget of $40 million, the Technology Transfer Office generated more than $4 million in licensing revenues. Put another way, with less than 2% of the R&D money spent by federal labs, CRC's TTO earned a hefty 25% of the total amount of licensing revenues of all other federal labs combined. In fact, as a ratio of IP revenue earned to R&D budget spent, CRC is the best in terms of technology transfer — at least 10 times better than its closest competitor in either Canada or the United States.

Most famously, the Technology Transfer Office is known for its David-and-Goliath fight against American giants Corning Corporation and Lucent Technologies. In 1999, one of CRC's key patents in the fiber Bragg grating patent portfolio came under attack for patent interference. Both Corning and Lucent Technologies claimed they were the first to invent a phase mask for which CRC had been granted a U.S. patent. CRC's multi-million dollar patent portfolio and its credibility with industry were at stake.

After some very fast soul-searching — and not without trepidation — TTO manager Jeet Hothi and his team decided to meet the challenge head on. Four years and much nail-biting later, the case was resolved in CRC's favour. The legal victory sent a strong message to infringing companies that the Government of Canada is serious about protecting its intellectual property rights.

So, what makes this team work so well?

Staff are quick to credit manager Jeet Hothi. Joe LeBlanc, the first manager of the Technology Transfer Office, explains, "The engineer in Jeet understands the needs of our researchers, as well as the impact of their discoveries." This has helped immeasurably in developing a strong collaborative relationship between the TTO and CRC researchers and management.

Equally important are the dynamics within the team itself, where a focus on collaboration and a lack of formality have helped forge a formidable unit. With both Joe's and Jeet's encouragement and direction, team members have learned to rely on and trust one another. Marg Stanton explains, "We really plug into each other's expertise. We often come together as a group to share information, or brainstorm processes and solve problems."

Complementing the team approach is a corporate culture that does not shy away from new ideas. Greg Waite, President of Future Path Development Group, the company that developed an innovative, computer-based IP management system that is used by the TTO, notes that "CRC has frequently taken leadership on a number of significant evolutionary milestones... (they have) always demonstrated a willingness to improve, to change and to adopt."

Yet while we try to deconstruct the reasons for TTO's success, perhaps the simplest explanation is the best. Joe LeBlanc sums up their approach: "We are a team."

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