William K. “Billy” Richardson, an accomplished entrepreneur, lawyer and teacher passed away on November 10. He was 62.

Richardson served as interim director of the University of �鶹��ý Office of Technology Transfer and Economic Development from December 2014 until August 2016. In his lead role, he worked closely with the university’s proof-of-concept center to help program cohorts fully commercially their UH-owned technologies.

• Related �鶹��ýNews story: , November 24, 2014

The son of late Chief Justice William S. Richardson, the founder and namesake of the at the UH ����ԴDz�, Billy Richardson was a consummate supporter of the school. He was often called upon to speak to incoming classes, and would offer witty, loving and insightful stories about his father’s vision and the early days of the law school.

“I cannot begin to tell you of the sorrow that we as a community feel. Billy was such a generous and compassionate man, very much like his father, and he was always willing to do everything possible to support the law school, our faculty and especially our students,” said Dean , who served as a law clerk to CJ Richardson and has known the Richardson family for 50 years. “He was a teacher, mentor, and visionary. He will be deeply missed by all of us.”

first appeared on University of �Ჹ�ɲ���ʻ�� System News.]]> 70785 /news/2017/10/23/david-ai/ Mon, 23 Oct 2017 18:00:39 +0000 http://www.hawaii.edu/news/?p=67131 C. David Ai has been appointed director of the Office of Innovation and Commercialization, as well as chief innovation officer of the University of �鶹��ý System.

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C. David Ai has been appointed director of the Office of Innovation and Commercialization, as well as chief innovation officer of the . Ai will be responsible for the management of intellectual property (IP) and UH-developed technology assets through his oversight of three inter-related offices. Ai’s appointment was approved on August 24 by the UH Board of Regents and he is set to begin his official duties on March 15, 2018.

“We are very pleased and fortunate to have a person with the impressive credentials, knowledge and experience of David to lead the University of �鶹��ý’s tech transfer and commercialization efforts into the future,” said UH Vice President for Research and Innovation . “In our push to become a leader of technology commercialization in the Asia-Pacific region, his stewardship of the Office of Innovation and Commercialization will be absolutely vital to that effort and to the success of the �鶹��ý Innovation Initiative.”

Ai will lead the (formerly known as Office of Technology Transfer and Economic Development or OTTED), that will develop, implement and manage UH’s IP and technology licensing functions, including the active solicitation of invention disclosures from researchers. Ai will also lead UH Ventures, a newly created office that will be responsible for intellectual property and technology licensing, education and the development of commercial partnerships to help drive and stimulate opportunities for economic growth. He will work closely with the Strategic Grants Development Office, a newly created entity to assist and mentor UH faculty, students and post-docs, alumni to navigate the complex development and application process associated with private research funding, including large multi-investigator grants.

“I am thrilled to join the University of �鶹��ý System, and to help drive the innovation agenda with all the colleagues on 10 campuses and in research institutes under one umbrella,” Ai said, “�鶹��ý has a long and proud history of diversity, which is the most important ingredient of innovation—to observe the world from a unique angle. I look forward to this unique and exciting challenge.”

More about C. David Ai

Ai comes to the University of �鶹��ý from the City University of Hong Kong, where he served as director of knowledge transfer, leading the university’s IP commercialization operations for the past three and a half years—concurrently leading an intense push into China’s vast business and industrial world, while developing the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem on campus.

From 2008 to 2014, Ai served as senior IP licensing associate and licensed patent attorney for the Office of Technology Licensing at Stanford University, where he shaped the university’s China strategy and spearheaded their technology transfer efforts into the country. While at Stanford, Ai also negotiated and drafted IP licenses, managed patent prosecution, marketed more than 300 inventions and served as liaison to the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center.

Additionally, he has more than 20 years of experience in various management and administrative positions within large corporations and venture companies such as vice president at NYSE-listed Varian Medical Systems and CEO at several startups, as well as chief advisor at Hitachi Corporate VC in the Silicon Valley.

Ai received his bachelor of science degree in psychology from National Taiwan University, master of science degree in computer science from Indiana University, master of business administration degree from Stanford University, and juris doctor degree from Santa Clara University. He is also a licensed patent attorney in California.

The post International expert to head new UH innovation/commercialization office first appeared on University of �Ჹ�ɲ���ʻ�� System News.]]>

Potential investors got to see some of the exciting developments at the at a technology showcase in October. The presentations included:

• “C������-CANOE 3D virtual reality environment” by Jason Leigh, UH ����ԴDz� professor of
• “Anatomical 3D models on the zSpace virtual reality platform” by Jesse Thompson, technical director for anatomical imaging at the
• “Telescope mirror technology for the solar industry” by Professor and MorphOptic co-founder Jeff Kuhn
• “Realistic brain phantom for MRI research and development” by UH ����ԴDz� graduate students Kyoko Fujimoto and Trent Robertson

The event was sponsored by UH’s , UH ����ԴDz�’s and .

Guests included entrepreneurs, potential investors, intellectual property attorneys, defense contractors and other parties interested in licensing UH innovations.

Photos from the event

View photos on the .

—By Kelli Trifonovitch

More than 60 faculty members, researchers and graduate students who hold U.S. patents were honored by the and presenting sponsor American Savings Bank at a dinner on September 24, 2015 at the Waialae Country Club. UH launched the first �Ჹ�ɲ���ʻ�� chapter of the , an organization of more than 200 U.S. and international universities and research institutions and more than 3,000 individual members who have obtained patents from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Among the inventors who were recognized at the dinner were:

• Norm Abramson, who developed the ALOHA protocol, a foundation of modern networking taught in engineering classes around the world
• Ryuzo Yanagimachi, a pioneer in mouse cloning and the development of assisted fertilization techniques
• Thomas Ernst, inventor of motion-correction technologies for MRI scanners ()
• John Madey, inventor of the free-electron laser
• Virginia Hinshaw, who developed a method of producing a vaccine for Avian flu in humans

“We congratulate and thank our UH faculty and students for the difference their work has made in our communities and to the world,” said UH President David Lassner. “These accomplishments are a testament to the creativity and innovation that abounds in our UH community and we look forward to future discoveries from our scholars.”

At the event, three entrepreneurs with close affiliation to UH shared how they commercialized technologies they developed.

• Heidi Kuehnle, co-founder and CEO of and a former UH professor
• Paul Lucey, co-founder and chief scientist of and a current UH professor
• Patrick Sullivan, founder and CEO of , who received a PhD from UH

The event was organized by the UH of the.

For more information about technology commercialization at UH, visit .

—By Kelli Trifonovitch

�鶹��ý entrepreneurial executive and attorney Leigh-Ann K. Miyasato will be joining the University of �鶹��ý’s (OTTED) as a technology licensing associate, effective March 2, 2015.

In her new role, Miyasato will be working with the UH Mānoa to help faculty and student researchers commercially exploit their UH-owned technologies. She will also assist with OTTED’s legal contracts and incentive programs.

“I’m excited to have Leigh-Ann Miyasato join the OTTED family to help with our technology transfer efforts,” said Bill Richardson, interim director of OTTED. “Her passion, combined with her entrepreneurial and legal prowess will help us to create a more vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem at UH.”

Most recently, Miyasato was the founding executive director of the , a non-profit organization that assists entrepreneurial companies with their philanthropic and community service efforts. She also served as executive director of , an accelerator for early stage �鶹��ý technology companies and as vice president of , a merchant bank and early stage venture capital fund focused on assisting Chinese technology companies.

“We are pleased that Ms. Miyasato will be joining our expanding commercialization team at UH,” said Vassilis L. Syrmos, vice president for research and innovation. “She comes to us very highly regarded by the local entrepreneurial community and we expect her to greatly contribute to our efforts in support of the .”

Read the for more on Miyasato

Local venture capitalist and entrepreneur William K. (Bill) Richardson has been named as interim director of the University of �鶹��ý (OTTED), effective December 1, 2014.

In his new role, Richardson will lead a department that will work closely with the recently launched proof-of-concept center to help program cohorts to fully exploit their UH-owned technologies commercially. OTTED is also responsible for the marketing, licensing and protection of UH intellectual property and the creation of new opportunities for collaboration between UH faculty and industry partners.

“It’s a very exciting time to be at the University of �鶹��ý to help grow the commercialization area of its research arm,” said Richardson. “I look forward to sharing my passion, knowledge and experience in entrepreneurship to help UH faculty to become successful entrepreneurs themselves.”

Richardson founded and built a series of venture funds that invested in 17 �鶹��ý-based companies, including two that went public on the NASDAQ exchange. Prior to venture funding, Richardson worked as an attorney in �鶹��ý specializing in commercial law and finance after a nine-year career at Wang Laboratories.

Since 2002, Richardson has served as an adjunct professor at the UH Mānoa and as a lecturer in entrepreneurship at the . He is an advisory board member of the (PACE) at the Shidler College of Business, a University of �鶹��ý Foundation trustee and is a founder and current board member of , a locally based virtual incubator. A double major in economics and sociology at , Richardson received his bachelor’s degree with honors in 1978 and was awarded his juris doctorate from the in 1981.

“We are extremely pleased to have someone like Bill Richardson on board to help lead OTTED in our efforts to create a more vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem through the aggressive commercialization of our IP,” said UH Vice President for Research and Innovation Vassilis L. Syrmos. “With his impressive credentials, extensive industry contacts and a wealth of entrepreneurial experience and knowledge, we expect OTTED to be a major contributor to the success of the �鶹��ý Innovation Initiative.”

Two candidates for the position of director of the (OTTED), have been invited to the University of �鶹��ý to make public presentations to interested students, faculty, staff, community members and the general public. The topic for the presentations will be, “The Future of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at a Public University.”

“This leadership position is critical to UH’s entrepreneurial and commercialization efforts,” said Vance Roley, dean of the at UH Mānoa and chair of the OTTED director search.

“The next director of OTTED will be leading a department that will be an integral component to the success of the ,” added UH Vice President for Research and Innovation Vassilis L. Syrmos.

OTTED director candidates

Fred B. Holt, director of strategic initiatives,

• Public presention: Friday, July 18, 2014, 10–11 a.m., C-MORE Hale conference room

For the last nine years Holt has played a major role in transforming the technology transfer function at the University of Washington’s Center for Commercialization. He has defined and implemented most of the elements in the new innovation ecosystem for UW researchers, including the entrepreneurs-in-residence program, the industry relations program, a start-up incubator and a center fund for technology start-ups.

Holt received his doctorate in mathematics from the University of Washington and a master’s in business administration from Seattle University.

Neil F. Veloso, director of commercialization—Strategic Alliances, (CCI)

• Public presention: Tuesday, July 29, 2014, 10:30–11:30 a.m., C-MORE Hale conference room

Neil Veloso primarily focuses on innovation management within both the Cleveland Clinic and its Healthcare Innovation Alliance Program. He has more than 20 years of experience in biotechnology and technology commercialization.

Veloso received his bachelor’s in biology from John Hopkins University and earned both his master’s in business administration and master’s of sciences in environmental health sciences from Case Western University.