NYSTAR Science &
Technology Law Center

Enabling Entrepreneurs and Technology Commercialization

CommercializationThe fourth floor of Winifred MacNaughton Hall, Syracuse University College of Law, used to be a quiet place that contained a student reading lounge, a Moot Courtroom and a student career services office. Very quiet indeed, until 2004 when the Syracuse University College of Law (SUCOL) was named the NYSTAR designated New York Science and Technology Law Center (NYS-STLC) and moved into that fourth floor. Now the fourth floor bustles with staffers and students all working to fulfill the mission of NYSTAR and the NYS-STLC, which is high tech job growth and creation in New York State. The NYS-STLC designation is not the beginning of the story; rather it is the culmination of a fifteen-year journey in the exploration of the intersection of science, technology and the law.

In 1990, Professor Ted Hagelin founded the SUCOL Law, Technology and Management program to prepare students to practice in the fields of intellectual property and technology commercialization. Through Ted’s efforts, the Syracuse University New Technology Law Center (suntec) was born, the first program of its type in this country. Ted believes fervently that lawyers who want to practice in those fields must have practical, hands on business experience working with companies that develop, manufacture and market those technologies. Teams comprised of five to six students work on semester-long projects for technology and manufacturing companies that have a key organizational need in the intellectual property or technology commercialization area. Each semester approximately five projects are chosen from proposals and requests by organizations, non-profits and universities. The students have collaborated with Welch-Allyn, Kodak, Cornell, Phillips Electronics, RPI, and others, and have developed suntec’s reputation as an outstanding, results oriented program that benefits the students and the sponsoring organizations. It is to this solid foundation that the STLC designation was added in 2004.

The STLC designation has not only brought the move to that fourth floor office, it has brought new staff members and a new perspective to the program. The mission of the NYS-STLC is educational outreach to the NYSTAR designated Centers for Advanced Technology (CATS), universities in New York State, other NYTSAR designated entities, economic development offices, small businesses, inventors and entrepreneurs in high tech fields. The SUCOL NYS-STLC conducts conferences, seminars and workshops, produces a monthly newsletter (http://nys-stlc.syr.edu/publications/), maintains a Web site (http://nys-stlc.syr.edu) and acts as an overall resource on intellectual property and technology commercialization issues, trends and legislation.

The NYS-STLC has a statewide presence, and part of the mission is to hold conferences and workshops around the state. To that end, the NYS-STLC staff has developed a series of conferences titled “The Lab to Market Series”, the first of which was “Building Sound Patent Practices”, held in Buffalo in May. A downstate conference is scheduled for late October and other workshops and conferences are in the works. Keep an eye on the STLC’s website and newsletter for more details.

Now the MacNaughton Hall fourth floor is quiet no more, as the NYS-STLC staffers and students ensure it is always abuzz with activity and action. If you would like more information on the STLC or wish to receive the monthly e-newsletter, call Liz Lonergan at 315.443.8933 or email her at Lonergan@law.syr.edu.