 | Karen Laigaard |
Karen Laigaard is the Director of Technology Transfer and the University of Copenhagen and the President of the Association of European Science & Technology Transfer Professionals (ASTP).
Karen joined the University of Copenhagen in March 2003 to set up and manage the University's Technology Transfer Office.
Today the University of Copenhagen consists of eight faculties (four of which are in the life sciences), 35,000 students and 7,000 employees (of which 5,500 researchers). The University is placed at no 48 in the most recent Times Higher Survey.
The Tech Transfer Office of the University consists of 7 people (with backgrounds and experience in law, science and industry) working with the identification, the protection and the commercialisation of Copenhagen University's research results. The Office receives over 70 disclosures per year from the academic community, it negotiates around 12 licensing agreements on behalf of the University per year and assists academic staff with a considerable amount of research collaboration agreements.
Karen is currently President (as of May 2009) of the Association of European Science & Technology Transfer Professionals (ASTP), having been member of the Board since 2007. ASTP is the biggest technology transfer organisation in Europe with around +500 members mainly from Europe. ASTP works closely together with like-minded technology transfer organisations such as AUTM (US) and UNICO (UK).
Karen returned to Denmark in January 2002 after having lived and worked in the United Kingdom from 1992 to 2001. She returned to a job at the Danish Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation and was in particular involved in activities related to biotechnology and commercialisation.
During her time in the UK Karen was employed for six years with the University of Glasgow's commercialisation office, Research & Enterprise. As the office's International Marketing Manager she was responsible for the development of commercialisation strategies and the international promotion of the University's research expertise. Karen also managed the University's involvement in World Bank funded consultancy work in Argentina and Mexico in relation to healthcare sector reforms. By the time she left Research & Enterprise, the office employed around 50 people.
Prior to joining Research & Enterprise, Karen worked at The British Council, Scotland, on an export promotion project funded by the UK Department of Trade & Industry and Scottish Trade International.
Karen is a member of the Steering Group of the Danish National Network for Technology Transfer and of the Innovation Group of Danish Universities.
In her free time, Karen plays golf at Ledreborg Palace Golf Club. Her current handicap is 17.1 and her goal for 2009 is anywhere below 15!
COMS2009 Invited Lecture Title: Technology Transfer - Challenges and Opportunities |