Project Set-up &
Management
Dana Bostrom
Digital Ventures
July 30, 2002
©2004 University of Washington
Outline of topics to be covered
• Who is Digital Ventures?
• What is a project and how is it different
from other IP management techniques?
• Why is the project approach useful?
• How does Digital Ventures support a
project?
• A few examples of projects
©2004 University of Washington
Preface: What is Digital
Ventures?
• 6 person group which manages
information products across the UW
campus
– Primarily software, databases &
curriculum
– Manage trademark, patent, copyright &
related rights across the projects
– FY 2002: 2.6 million on a $700,000
budget
©2004 University of Washington
Key elements of a project
• More than one person (usually from 3-30)
working on a common scope of work inside the
university
• Works to make and distribute a variety of
information products:
– Available to external groups over several years
– With some level of interaction with external
audiences
• In reality, we help to set up “mini-companies”
inside the UW, ready for eventual spin out and
empower the projects accordingly
©2004 University of Washington
Common Project Characteristics
• One person communicates with Digital
Ventures, on behalf of project
• Project members share many
understandings and goals
• Project members have diverse
relationships with UW (faculty, staff,
student)
• Project members support licensing with
some type of technical support to
licensee
©2004 University of Washington
How is this different from other
management techniques?
• Collect assets from project together
– Technical information
– Software
– Content
• Package assets for specific audiences
• License non-exclusively to users and
distributors
©2004 University of Washington
Asset Identification
Bar Date C Patentable
R R
Commercial Product Threshold
C (Product, Market)
C R
C R
R R C
A
C R Traditional Dissemination Threshold
R R (Individual Scholars)
C A R
R
R R A Organizational Learning Threshold
A (information products to companies)
R R
ec nei du Al a nret x E ot e ul a V
R Research Result
A Research Artifact
Time from Research Inception C Cumulative Results
R
C Cumulative Results
R Information Product
urce: Dr. Patrick Jones & Dr. Charles Williams
©2004 University of Washington
Why center activity in projects?
• Follows natural organization of university
research
• Gives control of project assets to small
trusted group, rather than “the university”
• Allows greater flexibility in licensing, because
common assets can be gathered
• “Incubates” research to allow it to develop
an audience prior to leaving the university
©2004 University of Washington
How we manage projects
• Project Registration
• Project Set-up kit
– Forms, such as disclosure forms (software,
invention, copyright) & inventory forms
– Participation management documents which
allow projects to document their “rules”
• Set up scaleable, non-exclusive licensing
• Empowerment & education of project members
• Participate in all external relationships a project
has
©2004 University of Washington
Project Registration with Digital
Ventures
• “Just the facts”
– PI Name
– Project Name
– Proposed scope of work
– Proposed funding
– Proposed project participants
– Timeline
– Request for other information & assistance
©2004 University of Washington
Project Participation
Management
• Provide projects means to systematically
manage intellectual property rights,
distribution and revenue expectations,
and identify goals and restrictions project
has accepted
• Allows new participants to examine
project goals and rules prior to joining
• Reduces potential for later problems
©2004 University of Washington
Form availability
• Control forms to allow better Digital Ventures control
Allow Control
Project Rules Disclosure
Participation
Agreement
Website
management
tools
©2004 University of Washington
Scaleable distribution
• Create standard licenses for sets of
assets
• Pre-define terms, including prices
where possible
©2004 University of Washington
©2004 University of Washington
Empowerment of projects
• Provide special education and tools
for registered projects
– Website management (domain name,
privacy policy)
– Identifier management (trademarks)
• Direct licensing revenue back into
the project for further
development
©2004 University of Washington
©2004 University of Washington
External relationship
participation
• Coordinate with other campus groups as
necessary to provide services
– Sponsored research
– Gift
– Attorney
• Help prepare developers for meetings with
external groups, and participate as required
• Help develop licenses and guidelines for
external groups to interact and participate
with projects
©2004 University of Washington
Example 1: UW Training
Software
• Lab Medicine Training Software
• 7 year project; 13 training titles
• $5 million in revenue; 20+ project
members
• Distribution via publishers, major
corporations, and directly to users
• Now a start-up and UW activity
has slowed
©2004 University of Washington
Example 2: Database
• Content and user interface in complex
subject area
• 3 year project developed entirely on gifts,
approximately $600,000
• 4 project members; development budget
created
• Standard licenses available from the web
• Goal of creating future information
products created from the same set of
information
©2004 University of Washington
Contact information
• Dana Bostrom
• Phone: (206) 616-3451
• E-mail:
bostrom@[Link]
• Much more information on our
approach on our website
[Link]
©2004 University of Washington