Associate Director, Incubation Programme and Technology Development

Job Description

Duke-NUS Medical School’s Centre for Technology and Development (CTeD) manages technology development programmes under the Office of Innovation & Entrepreneurship (OIE). The main activities of the Centre include identifying commercially-viable inventions, managing and seeking intellectual property protection including patents, developing and implementing project commercialisation plans, conducting business development, negotiating and completing legal contracts to enable commercial development activities. The desired outcome is the eventual commercialisation of technology via launching of start-up companies or licensing patent/technology rights directly to established companies.  

 
CTeD is establishing a new Incubation Programme to promote the translation of discovery science to product development. The programme will validate commercial worthiness of early stage technologies, conduct market assessments, develop business plans, and launch start-up companies.

We are seeking a dynamic, experienced and self-motivated individual as an Associate Director to help to manage the incubation programme at CTeD. 

• Commercial Strategy & Planning: Assess the commercial potential of high value and impact disclosed technologies, and develop a strategy and product development plan to advance those programmes to a value inflection point and commercial exit (license to existing company, or new venture formation, etc). Work with researchers, clinicians and with internal and external advisors to ensure plan is scientifically, clinically, and commercially sound.
• Product Development: Execute on the product development plan and funding strategy to accelerate the assets towards a commercial endpoint. Actively participate and lead the project, aligning stakeholders along the way, to ensure project is hitting milestones.
• Business Development / Market Insights: Build knowledge of and relationships with appropriate partners and industries for effective partnering, industry feedback, research collaborations, licensing, etc. Develop and manage synergistic partnerships and collaborations with stakeholders to advance projects.
• Project Management: Participate in due diligence, negotiations, and agreement development/management to ensure the interests of the School are upheld. Liaise with internal and external advisors when appropriate. Create a project-specific funding strategy. Identify and apply for commercially-relevant funding opportunities to support the product development. Source funding opportunities from the institutions, foundations, philanthropists, pharma/biotech companies, and venture funds. Explore and develop creative funding strategies to advance projects.
• Patent Portfolio Strategy: Manage patent strategy by providing technology and commercial insight and lead implementation of overall patent strategy to ensure highest value patents.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Biosciences and/or Bioengineering. MBA or PhD in a biomedical field will be preferred. 
• Minimum 10 years of related work experiences in technology transfer and license, contract review, business development, drug discovery and development, and life science incubation programme. Relevant industry and/or entrepreneurial drug development experience will be preferred.
• Able to apply critical thinking skills to process and manage a portfolio of technologies, contracts and patents to result in valuable intellectual property and commercialised products.
• Possess excellent communication skills and the ability to work with others in a respectful and tactful manner.
• Able to prepare business plans and financial forecasts in support of investment opportunities.
• Possess advanced knowledge of regulations, procedures and best practices in the field.
• Able to use time efficiently and productively; prioritising multiple tasks properly to meet deadlines; recognising time constraints and adjusting work schedules to address them. 
• Continuously striving to gain support for one’s ideas, plans and courses of actions.

We regret that only shortlisted candidates will be notified.