Texas A&M Innovation Returns from the AUTM 2026 Annual Meeting with New Collaborations and Licensing Strategies
By: Crystal Carter, Ed.D. and Kimora Butler
Members of the Texas A&M Innovation Licensing, New Ventures, Market Intelligence, and Operations teams recently joined technology transfer professionals from around the world at the AUTM Annual Meeting, in Seattle, Washington, where leaders across academia, industry, and investment gathered to discuss strategies for strengthening technology commercialization.
The annual conference provides a global forum for professionals working in innovation and intellectual property to exchange ideas, explore new trends in technology transfer, and build partnerships that help move discoveries from research laboratories to real-world applications.
For the Texas A&M Innovation team, participation in the meeting offered opportunities to learn best practices, deepen industry relationships, and gain new perspectives that can support faculty and researchers across The Texas A&M University System.
Strengthening Commercialization Through Collaboration
Janie Hurley, senior licensing director at Texas A&M Innovation, served as a panelist for two sessions focused on intellectual property strategies for plant-based innovations.
Hurley contributed to discussions during “The Root of the Matter: A Roundtable of Plant Licensing and IP” and “Rooted in Protection: Smart IP Strategies for Plant-based Innovations.” Both sessions explored the unique challenges and opportunities associated with protecting, licensing, and commercializing plant-related technologies.
Her participation reflects the growing recognition of Texas A&M Innovation professionals as thought leaders in technology transfer and intellectual property strategy. By sharing expertise on the global stage, team members help shape best practices for how universities protect and translate agricultural and plant-based discoveries into solutions that benefit growers, industry partners, and communities worldwide.
Shyamala Rajagopalan, senior licensing manager at Texas A&M Innovation, shared that one of her biggest takeaways from this year’s conference was gaining a deeper understanding of how to enhance technology commercialization while building meaningful industry connections.
“The phrase ‘strengthening technology commercialization’ means enabling or enhancing the process,” Rajagopalan said. “Regardless of what the ecosystem looks like, it begins with identifying a ‘hair on the fire’ problem. When a clearly defined need exists, we can match it with technologies that directly address that challenge.”
Rajagopalan noted that participating in the conference provided valuable exposure to best practices across the technology transfer community and offered a broader perspective on the investment landscape surrounding emerging technologies.
“Participating in AUTM allows you to learn more about some of the best practices in the tech transfer world,” she added.
The event also created new opportunities to connect with industry leaders and potential collaborators who are actively working to bring university innovations to market.
Advancing Strategies for Software and AI Licensing
Sheikh Ismail, senior licensing manager at Texas A&M Innovation, highlighted the importance of sessions focused on emerging intellectual property strategies, particularly those related to software, artificial intelligence, and digital technologies.
“This year’s meeting provided valuable insight into software and copyright licensing strategies, as well as AI technology licensing and patent filing approaches,” Ismail said. “These insights will directly strengthen commercialization efforts across The Texas A&M University System.”
Ismail emphasized that conferences like AUTM provide a unique opportunity for technology transfer professionals to learn from global peers and exchange practical strategies that can benefit faculty inventors.
“It is highly relevant to learn from counterparts around the world on how to better support faculty and researchers in moving their discoveries toward commercialization,” he said. “AUTM delivers high value for technology transfer professionals.”
During the conference, Ismail also connected with a diverse network of innovation leaders and investors, including representatives from global venture firms, research foundations, and university technology transfer offices.
Supporting Innovation Across The Texas A&M University System
Participation in the AUTM Annual Meeting reflects Texas A&M Innovation’s ongoing commitment to strengthening the pathways that move discoveries from research to real-world impact.
By engaging with the global technology transfer community, team members bring back insights and strategies that help researchers across The Texas A&M University System protect their intellectual property, connect with industry partners, and translate their discoveries into technologies that benefit society.
Through continued collaboration with innovators, investors, and industry partners, Texas A&M Innovation remains focused on enabling discoveries that can evolve into new companies, products, and solutions that address important challenges around the world.
