Duke's Office for Translation & Commercialization
Duke's Office for Translation & Commercialization is Duke University's technology transfer unit, evaluating invention disclosures, managing intellectual property, and licensing or launching startups to commercialize breakthroughs from Duke research.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersDurham, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Duke's Office for Translation & Commercialization does
Duke's Office for Translation & Commercialization (Duke OTC) is Duke University's technology transfer and commercialization unit, established in 2017 and headquartered in Durham, North Carolina. The office's stated function is to connect breakthroughs originating from Duke research with the external tools and partners — including industry collaborators, investors, and entrepreneurs — required to translate academic discoveries into commercial products and societal benefit. Activities typically associated with this office include reviewing invention disclosures, securing and managing intellectual property, supporting faculty-led startup formation, executing license agreements with established companies, and brokering industry-sponsored research collaborations. The office operates through a portfolio of Duke-affiliated startups accessible via the otc.duke.edu/startups directory, with featured companies including medical device venture Lacuna Medical.
As an institutional entity embedded within Duke University rather than an independent venture-backed company, Duke OTC operates with a small staff of 11-50 employees and is not structured as a revenue-generating business in the conventional sense. The office functions as research enterprise infrastructure funded primarily through Duke's institutional budget and research overhead rather than market sales, with any licensing royalties typically routing back to the university rather than the office as a discrete revenue line. Detailed operational data — including the composition of license income, named licensees, pricing terms for sponsored research, leadership team, partnerships, and product-level information — could not be confirmed because the primary website (otc.duke.edu) was blocked by Anubis anti-bot protection, leaving most firmographic fields without direct source confirmation.
Duke's Office for Translation & Commercialization firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Duke's Office for Translation & Commercialization
- Website
- https://otc.duke.edu
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Duke's Office for Translation & Commercialization is Duke University's technology transfer unit, evaluating invention disclosures, managing intellectual property, and licensing or launching startups to commercialize breakthroughs from Duke research.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Duke's Office for Translation & Commercialization industry classification
Industry- Product category
- University Technology Transfer Services
- SIC
- Patent Owners & Lessors (6794)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Technology Transfer & Innovation-Driven Research Universities (High Commercialization) (EDAHABAH)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Corporate Deep Tech / R&D Commercialization CVC (FSANAHAL)
Keywords
Where Duke's Office for Translation & Commercialization is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Durham
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Duke's Office for Translation & Commercialization business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Duke's Office for Translation & Commercialization product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Duke's Office for Translation & Commercialization (Duke OTC) is Duke University's technology transfer and commercialization office. It connects research breakthroughs developed at Duke University with the tools, partners, and commercialization pathways needed to bring them to market, supporting startups, licensing, and industry collaborations arising from Duke's research enterprise.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Technology Transfer & Commercialization Services
Companies that use Duke's Office for Translation & Commercialization
Customer profileIdeal customer profiles2 records
Duke's Office for Translation & Commercialization technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Duke's Office for Translation & Commercialization partnerships and signals
Strategic signalRecent moves2 records
Expansion highlights3 records
Duke's Office for Translation & Commercialization competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- RTI International: RTI is a Research Triangle-based nonprofit research institute that performs translational R&D and occasionally spins out ventures; an adjacent ecosystem participant relevant to Durham-based Duke OTC deal flow.
- Research Triangle Park (RTP): RTP is the surrounding innovation cluster adjacent to Duke and Duke OTC; while not a peer office, it is the enabling ecosystem for Duke spinouts and warrants inclusion as a structural comparable.
Direct peers
- MIT Technology Licensing Office (TLO): MIT TLO handles invention disclosure, patent prosecution, and licensing for MIT researchers — a direct functional peer to Duke OTC in tech transfer at a top-tier research university.
- Stanford Office of Technology Licensing (OTL): Stanford OTL is the technology transfer and licensing office of Stanford University, operating the same core function as Duke OTC — commercializing university-born IP through patents, licensing, and startup formation.
- Penn Center for Innovation: PCI is the University of Pennsylvania's hub for translating research into commercial outcomes, with analogous scope and structure to Duke OTC.
- Harvard Office of Technology Development (OTD): Harvard OTD performs invention licensing, startup formation, and industry partnerships for Harvard researchers, paralleling Duke OTC's commercialization mandate at a peer private research university.
- Johns Hopkins Technology Ventures: JHTV commercializes Johns Hopkins IP through licensing and startups, directly comparable in mission and biomedical heavy mix to Duke OTC.
- Columbia Technology Ventures: Columbia's tech transfer office translates Columbia research into patents, licenses, and startups — the same translational model Duke OTC executes within Duke University.
Regional players
- Baylor Research Institute / Baylor Licensing Group: Baylor College of Medicine operates an analogous tech transfer and commercialization function, with a comparable biomedical focus to Duke OTC, though serving a different geographic and institutional ecosystem.
Broad incumbents
- Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF): WARF is one of the oldest and largest university-affiliated technology transfer and patenting organizations (University of Wisconsin), functioning as a broad incumbent in the same category as Duke OTC.
Market position
Strengths3 records
Weaknesses3 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks4 records
Key highlights4 records
Customer concentration
Duke's Office for Translation & Commercialization social profiles
Digital presenceDuke's Office for Translation & Commercialization financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Duke's Office for Translation & Commercialization leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Duke's Office for Translation & Commercialization funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
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Duke's Office for Translation & Commercialization M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Duke's Office for Translation & Commercialization
What does Duke's Office for Translation & Commercialization do?
Duke's Office for Translation & Commercialization (Duke OTC) is Duke University's technology transfer and commercialization office. It connects research breakthroughs developed at Duke University with the tools, partners, and commercialization pathways needed to bring them to market, supporting startups, licensing, and industry collaborations arising from Duke's research enterprise.
Is Duke's Office for Translation & Commercialization a public or private company?
Duke's Office for Translation & Commercialization is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was Duke's Office for Translation & Commercialization founded?
Duke's Office for Translation & Commercialization was founded in 2017. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Duke's Office for Translation & Commercialization based?
Duke's Office for Translation & Commercialization is headquartered in Durham, United States, in the North America region.
Who are Duke's Office for Translation & Commercialization's main competitors?
Others on record are RTI International and Research Triangle Park (RTP). Direct peers are MIT Technology Licensing Office (TLO), Stanford Office of Technology Licensing (OTL), Penn Center for Innovation, Harvard Office of Technology Development (OTD), Johns Hopkins Technology Ventures and Columbia Technology Ventures. Baylor Research Institute / Baylor Licensing Group is listed as a regional player. Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Duke's Office for Translation & Commercialization have an API?
No public API is recorded for Duke's Office for Translation & Commercialization.
What industry is Duke's Office for Translation & Commercialization in?
Duke's Office for Translation & Commercialization's product category is University Technology Transfer Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAHABAH, Technology Transfer & Innovation-Driven Research Universities (High Commercialization), with a secondary code of FSANAHAL, Corporate Deep Tech / R&D Commercialization CVC. Its SIC code is 6794.