Dartmouth College Technology Transfer Office

What Dartmouth College Technology Transfer Office does

The Dartmouth College Technology Transfer Office (TTO), also referenced as the Office of Entrepreneurship and Technology Transfer (OETT), is an internal department of Dartmouth College that commercializes university research through patent prosecution, licensing to industry partners, and formation of equity-bearing spin-off companies. Headquartered in Hanover, New Hampshire, the office operates with roughly eight full-time staff and administers a portfolio of more than 1,500 issued patents, 150+ executed licenses, and 30+ startups spanning life sciences and physical sciences. Its three primary customer segments are Dartmouth faculty/researchers (invention disclosure intake), industry licensees (pharma, biotech, medical devices), and entrepreneurs (spin-off formation and mentorship).

Dartmouth TTO's underlying technology assets are exceptionally high-impact for an office of its size. Notable technologies include structure-based vaccine design methods (2P proline stabilization of coronavirus spike proteins by Jason McLellan and collaborators), bispecific monoclonal antibody platforms (Paul Guyre, originating 40+ FDA-approved therapies and the foundation of the >$10B global bispecific antibody market), CMOS image sensor technology (Eric Fossum, ubiquitous in cameras and phones), FLIM neural imaging (Michael Hoppa), fluorescence-guided surgery (Brian Pogue via DoseOptics), and digital phenotyping tools for mental health (Nicholas Jacobson, commercialized through Therabot Labs). Licensed IP has been incorporated into Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 mRNA vaccines, GSK's Arexvy RSV vaccine, and over 40 other FDA-approved therapies.

The revenue model is exclusively licensing- and equity-based: the office negotiates patent licenses, takes equity in spin-off companies, and reinvests distributions into Dartmouth research grants. The Medarex spin-off (co-founded by Guyre) was acquired by Bristol Myers Squibb for $2.1 billion, illustrating the long-tail upside model. GTM is enterprise field sales via direct negotiations supported by self-serve PDF technology catalogs, complemented by conferences (Dartmouth AI Conference, Entrepreneurs Forum) and recognition programs (Technology Innovation Awards) that surface new IP.

Name

Dartmouth College Technology Transfer Office

Legal name

Trustees of Dartmouth College

Website

https://tto.dartmouth.edu

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Dartmouth College Technology Transfer Office commercializes Dartmouth research by administering 1,500+ patents, executing 150+ licenses, and forming 30+ spin-off companies across life sciences and physical sciences, serving faculty inventors, industry licensees, and entrepreneurs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Technology Transfer and Licensing Services

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Management Consulting Services (54161)

SIC

Patent Owners & Lessors (6794), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Technology Transfer & Innovation-Driven Research Universities (High Commercialization) (EDAHABAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

IP Licensing, Transactions & Technology Transfer (BPAHAMAF), Applied Research & Innovation Universities (EDAHAEAE)

Keywords

• Technology transfer services
• Patent licensing
• Academic technology commercialization
• Intellectual property management
• University startup incubation

Headquarters

HQ city

Hanover

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Technology Licensing: Dartmouth licenses its patented technologies to industry partners, generating revenue through licensing fees and royalties. Technologies are available for licensing through the Available Technologies catalog covering Life Sciences and Physical Sciences.
2. Startup Equity: Dartmouth generates revenue through equity stakes in spin-off companies founded to commercialize Dartmouth innovations. Examples include Medarex (acquired for $2.1B) and DoseOptics.
3. Patent Monetization: Revenue generated from patent portfolios, including bispecific monoclonal antibodies pioneered by Dr. Paul Guyre, which contributed to a global bispecific antibody market exceeding $10 billion annually.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Dartmouth College Technology Transfer Office commercializes university-developed technologies by managing a portfolio of 1500+ issued patents, executing licensing agreements with industry partners, and supporting the formation of spin-off startup companies. It provides patent administration, invention disclosure intake, licensing negotiation, and startup incubation services across Life Sciences and Physical Sciences domains. The office operates as an internal department of Dartmouth College, with revenue generated through licensing fees, royalties, and equity stakes reinvested into university research.

Product overview

Dartmouth College Technology Transfer Office (TTO) is an academic technology transfer organization that provides a suite of services to commercialize university technology. The core offerings include technology licensing management, patent administration, and startup support through the TTO itself. The Available Technologies Catalog enables industry partners to license Dartmouth innovations. The office also coordinates accelerator programs and administers the annual Technology Innovation Awards to recognize faculty achievements. The organization supports 1500+ issued patents, 150+ licenses, and 30+ startups.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Technology Licensing and Patent Administration Services

Quantifiable outcome

• 1500+ issued patents and 150+ licenses managed by the office
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability8 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core, major and emerging.

• Bristol Myers SquibbflagshipChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2009Acquired Medarex (co-founded by Dr. Paul Guyre) for $2.1 billion. Medarex's intellectual property led to over 40 FDA-approved therapies, generating revenue for Dartmouth that was used to fund multi-million-dollar research grants.
• MedarexflagshipOthersOne of the first university spin-off companies, founded by Dr. Paul Guyre and Dr. Mike Fanger. Medarex went public in 1991 and was acquired by Bristol Myers Squibb in 2009 for $2.1B.
• Magnuson Center for EntrepreneurshipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership between the Technology Transfer Office and Magnuson Center to support entrepreneurship at Dartmouth, including the Entrepreneurs Hall of Fame, Entrepreneurs Forum, and Innovation Accelerator programs.
• Dartmouth EngineeringcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership between the Technology Transfer Office and Dartmouth Engineering for the Dartmouth Innovation Accelerator for Engineering, funding innovative engineering projects.
• ImmuNextmajorOthersCompany co-founded by Dr. Randolph Noelle, Emeritus Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at Dartmouth, focused on immune checkpoint research.
• DoseOpticsmajorOthersCompany founded by Dr. Brian Pogue to commercialize fluorescence-guided surgery technology. Received FDA clearance for its imaging systems.
• Hypoxia Surgical LLCemergingOthersNew venture led by Dr. Brian Pogue focused on hypoxia surgical technology advances.
• Therabot Labs LLCemergingOthersCompany founded by Dr. Nicholas Jacobson for AI-powered mental health chatbot technology, recruiting management and identifying funding sources.
• Generate BiomedicinesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-target collaboration with Novartis to discover and develop protein therapeutics using generative AI, based in Somerville, Massachusetts.
• Oak Ridge National LaboratorymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating with Dartmouth researchers on 3D-printable industrial catalyst technology to turn waste products into valuable fuel.
• National Institutes of Health (NIH) Vaccine Research CenterflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Jason McLellan was a research fellow at NIH VRC and collaborated with Dr. Barry Graham on RSV and coronavirus research that led to breakthrough vaccine technologies.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Columbia Technology Ventures: Columbia Technology Ventures is the technology transfer office for Columbia University, handling invention disclosures, patenting, licensing, and startup creation from Columbia research. It serves a similar Ivy League research base and operates the same core TTO functions.
• Yale Office of Cooperative Research (OCR): Yale OCR is Yale University's technology transfer and industrial liaison office, facilitating patenting, licensing, and spin-off formation from Yale research. It is a directly comparable peer in terms of university setting, IP model, and biomedical research strength.
• MIT Technology Licensing Office (TLO): MIT TLO is MIT's central technology transfer office, managing invention disclosures, patent prosecution, licensing, and startup formation from MIT faculty research. It is a directly comparable peer in terms of university setting, IP licensing model, and elite-research-university commercialization track record.
• Caltech Office of Technology Transfer: Caltech OTT manages technology transfer for the California Institute of Technology, including patent prosecution, licensing, and startup formation. It is comparable to Dartmouth's TTO given Caltech's similar private-research-university setting, elite science and engineering faculty, and high patent-per-researcher output.
• Stanford Office of Technology Licensing (OTL): Stanford OTL is the technology transfer office for Stanford University, a top-tier research university with a comparable model of faculty invention disclosure, patent prosecution, and licensing/spin-out formation. Both offices serve elite private research universities with high commercialization output.
• Johns Hopkins Technology Ventures (JHTV): JHTV is the technology transfer and commercialization arm for Johns Hopkins University, with a particularly strong biomedical focus analogous to Dartmouth's biotech-leaning portfolio. It manages a similar volume of invention disclosures and licensing activity from a research-intensive university.
• Princeton Office of Technology and Intellectual Property: Princeton's Office of Technology and Intellectual Property manages invention disclosures, patent prosecution, and licensing for Princeton University. It is a directly comparable peer as another elite private research university TTO with similar scale and mandate.
• University of Pennsylvania Center for Technology Transfer (CTT): Penn CTT manages invention disclosures, patenting, and licensing for the University of Pennsylvania. It is a directly comparable peer given Penn's strength in biomedical research, similar Ivy-plus research university positioning, and analogous non-profit TTO operating model.
• Harvard Office of Technology Development (OTD): Harvard OTD manages technology commercialization from Harvard faculty research, including patents, licensing, and startup formation. As another Ivy League research university, it is a directly comparable TTO peer operating under similar institutional and non-profit constraints.

Broad incumbents

• NIH Office of Technology Transfer (OTT): NIH OTT manages a vastly larger federal-government IP portfolio arising from intramural NIH research. While not a university TTO, it is comparable in function (patenting, licensing, royalty distribution for biomedical inventions) and operates at significantly larger scale than any single university office.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dartmouth-tto

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Dartmouth College Technology Transfer Office