Whether heading his own educational startup or guiding graduate students from idea all the way to exit, Jitendra “JJ” Jain has found his calling in the heart of both industry and academia. An entrepreneur with two decades of experience in academic tech transfer, Jain recently joined Binghamton University to spearhead its efforts in technology transfer.
“We are thrilled to welcome JJ as the new director of the Technology Transfer Office (TTO). JJ brings a dynamic background in intellectual property strategy, commercialization and building high-impact industry collaborations,” said Bandhana Katoch, assistant vice president in the Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Partnerships. “His vision and expertise will play a pivotal role in accelerating innovation and translating cutting-edge research into real-world solutions.”
Bringing his expertise in nurturing startups and technology translation at what he calls a perfect inflection point, Jain aims to broaden the impact of Binghamton-led research and innovation.
“This was really at that point where I think the team is motivated, the faculty are motivated, the ecosystem is motivated,” he said. “I think we can play a pivotal role now to take it to the next level.”
Jain is an electrical engineer by training, and at the time he obtained his degree in the 1990s, technology transfer was more of a fledgling field. Only when he landed a job at Texas A&M University’s technology licensing office — initially in a bid to fund his own tuition and research experience as an international master’s student — did Jain realize the potential of the industry.
After graduating from Texas A&M, Jain entered the high-tech industry, working at Advanced Micro Devices for several years before his division eventually spun out as its own startup. There Jain found a passion for entrepreneurship, an itch he scratched by launching his own startup promoting diversity in e-commerce.
Having exited the company after growing it from a mere concept, Jain remained at a crossroads. He decided to return to technology transfer, with stints at larger research institutions, including Ohio State University and the University of Texas at Austin.
“By then, I think my faith in the industry was sealed,” Jain said. “That absolutely became my career at that point.”
As the new director of Binghamton’s TTO, Jain envisions a broader pathway in which academics can get involved with technology transfer earlier, allowing for many possible points of entry for researchers looking to take their innovations out of the research and development phase.
“One of the biggest things for a tech transfer director is to ensure we have a robust pipeline of intellectual property, and one of my goals is to broaden the definition of IP,” he said. “I want to take it more downstream in that process, where we’re working very actively and closely with researchers at a lab level, and trying to harness or harvest their ideas very early on.”
Jain also hopes to accelerate the process of commercialization at large, while expanding the impact of technology translation on the University at large.
“Licensing revenues is great, but I think the office has a bigger role to play when it comes to creating returns for the community and for the university, and for impacting the economic development of the region,” he said. “We’re creating a bigger, better, flourishing ecosystem — not just a bigger, better TTO.”
Binghamton has been named an R1 institution by the Carnegie Classification of Institutes of Higher Education, placing it among the likes of Harvard and Johns Hopkins University. Jain said being embedded at a research-driven university and institutional leader in multiple initiatives makes him particularly excited for his new role.
“What I liked was that the TTO was not set up as a silo. In fact, it works closely with units like the Koffman Southern Tier Incubator,” he said. “We’ve got other programs, like the NSF Energy Storage Engine in Upstate New York and New Energy New York, and we work very collaboratively here.”
Jain comes to Binghamton after spending around 11 years directing UT Austin’s technology commercialization and licensing. Having already experienced the highs and lows of entrepreneurship, Jain is sensitive to the importance of ensuring university research can move beyond labs alone to hit markets and society alike.
“It’s a lofty, noble goal for any tech transfer office, but that’s the key role we play,” he said. “That’s important for researchers, and we help them navigate the whole commercialization space, which can take their discovery or fundamental research to the translational step ultimately for the benefit of humanity.”
The entrepreneurial spirit of fellow researchers and dreamers, as well as the opportunity to help those passions come to fruition, inspires Jain. He recalled a UT Austin student who approached his office with a single idea, then left with a successful company, millions of dollars in funding, and an entire team.
“This all started with this one grad student coming to the TTO,” he said. “To see that progress, where they go through all those steps and flourish, I think that’s the most meaningful and fulfilling thing ever.”
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