Colorado State Research Foundation Picks New Technology Transfer Director

The Colorado State University Research Foundation, a private, non-profit foundation that aids the university in its research and educational efforts, has named Mark S. Wdowik its vice president of technology transfer.

Wdowik will be in his new office in mid-July.

"Mark will be a major force in helping us protect and manage the intellectual property resulting from research at Colorado State University," said Kathleen Henry, CSURF president and chief executive officer. "His vast experience will continue to help Colorado State’s top scientists build relationships with industry and commercialize discoveries that are changing the world and saving lives."

CSURF aids the university with intellectual property patenting and licensing management; equipment leasing and municipal lease administration; financing of equipment, real estate and buildings through mortgage debt obligations; and land acquisition, development and management.

In the technology transfer office, Colorado State technologies are available in numerous areas from biotechnology and electrical engineering to veterinary therapeutics.

"Colorado State’s scientists are on the cutting edge of research," Henry said. "We are leaders in infectious disease, clean energy and cancer research across disciplines. We match the capabilities of our faculty and researchers to some of the great global challenges of our time."

Colorado State’s annual research expenditures totaled about $244 million in fiscal year 2005. The university ranks second in federal funding for U.S. universities without a medical school.

Wdowik is currently executive director of the Office of Technology Transfer at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He manages the university’s intellectual property portfolio, new business start-ups, economic development and technology commercialization. He previously served in the same capacity at the University of Kansas Information and Telecommunication Technology Center.

Prior to working in higher education, Wdowik successfully managed two technology-based businesses in Colorado, including a multi-million dollar advanced materials and optoelectronics company, Bandgap Technology Corp. The second business, a technology and business consulting firm, serviced the government and industry in the areas of technology and market assessment, government contracts, manufacturing optimization, strategic planning, intellectual property management, and mergers and acquisitions.

He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois-Champaign in 1982 and 1983, respectively. His professional affiliations include the Association of University Technology Managers, Eta Kappa Nu and Pi Mu Epsilon.

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