UNTHSC NAMES DIRECTOR OF TECH DEVELOPMENT AND COMMERCIALIZATION
The University of North Texas Health Science Center named Robert McClain, PhD, director of technology development and commercialization.
Dr. McClain will oversee the strategic development, protection, marketing, and licensing of promising innovations arising from the university’s research activities. In partnership with Tech Fort Worth Business Incubator, Dr. McClain will help establish new biotechnology companies and support existing ones. He will also educate the health science center’s faculty on the benefits of technology protection and commercialization.
“I am delighted that Dr. McClain is taking on this role for the university,” said Robert Gracy, PhD, associate vice president for research and biotechnology at the health science center. “I have the greatest respect for his experience and expertise in technology commercialization, and I know that he will have a substantial impact on these efforts at the university.”
Before joining the health science center, Dr. McClain led a corporate team at the Nalco Company, a specialty chemical company. He worked closely with scientists, marketers, licensing executives, and attorneys to bring promising new discoveries forward into commercial development.
Dr. McClain will head the health science center’s Office of Technology Development and Commercialization. The OTDC reviews and negotiates material transfer, non-disclosure and sponsored research agreements when they relate directly to UNTHSC inventions.
The office also handles all aspects of the invention development process, including the encouragement, assessment, protection and licensing of inventions; the post-licensing oversight of agreement compliance; distribution of royalties and fees; and record keeping for all aspects of UNTHSC intellectual property technology transfer.
Dr. McClain earned his doctorate in chemistry from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.
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