05/10/2012
The Sabancı University International Board of Overseers, composed of 12 global business and academic leaders, held its annual meeting in Istanbul.
As part of the Sabancı University International Board of Overseers meeting, a conference titled “Two Perspectives on Research in the Context of the Rise of Asia” was held on Wednesday, October 3rd at the Seed hosted by the Sabancı University Alumni Association – SUMED.
The conference featured keynotes by Professor Timothy Tong, President of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Dr. Xiang Wang, partner of Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP. Professor Tong’s speech title was “University-Industry Cooperation” while Dr. Wang spoke on “Commercializing and Discussing Intellectual Property” .
Prof. Timoty Tong, bilgi transferinde üniversitelere düşen görevi anlattı
Professor Timothy Tong, President of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, said that their university had been in close contact with the industry throughout its 70-year history. Professor Tong commented that fields of cooperation ranged from health to construction, and that electric vehicles began as a student project and was developed into a business by the industry. Professor Timothy Tong further added that they believed in the importance of knowledge transfer as many products used in the private sector today were the result of knowledge transfer.
1.2 million dollar micro-funding for students
Discussing the new vision and targets of Hong Kong Polytechnical University, Professor Tong said, “We are raising the bar and seeking perfection. We want to do things that have practical value and be a leader in this area.” Professor Tong, said that as a university they signed 60 licensing agreements and acquired 52 patents in the previous year. Professor Tong also explained the micro-funding scheme for students initiated last year. Tong said that successful students were entitled to the second phase, while the unsuccessful ones were not required to repay the funding, having gained important experience in the process. Tong said that last year’s micro-funding of 1.2 million dollars returned as 1.9 million dollars of revenue, and that this year’s funding amount was 1.7 million dollars.
Intellectual property lawsuits in China have impact on companies across the globe
Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP partner Dr. Xiang Wang said that China went through a great transformation in the last 30 years. Dr. Wang explained that while the manufacture of replicas was viewed as sharing information in China, intellectual property was undergoing change in the country as well. Dr. Wang noted that 1.3 million patent applications were made in China last year, explaining that there were intellectual property courts in all provinces and that the United States had went through the most intellectual property and industrial espionage conflicts with China. Reminding that many companies relocated their production to China, Dr. Wang argued that intellectual property lawsuits in China had impact on all companies across the globe. Dr. Wang concluded by saying that China needed to start exporting intellectual property.
Also attending the conference were Sabancı University Board of Trustees Chair Güler Sabancı, President Professor Nihat Berker, and the newest member of the International Board of Overseers, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Faculty Member and Nobel Prize Laureate Professor Peter A. Diamond.
