Global Licensing & Tech Transfer Professionals Will Gather At LESI Conference In San Diego

You Need To Be There Too

San Diego, CA • April 29 - May 2 • www.lesi2018.org

Networking at past LES Meeting in San Diego.

Join LES members from around the world at the 2018 LES International (LESI) Annual Conference in San Diego. The theme of LESI 2018 is "Strong IP Drives The Bottom Line." This educational and networking conference will be held Sunday, April 29 to Wednesday, May 2, at the Manchester Grand Hyatt overlooking San Diego Bay. Educational programming will be held both before and after LESI 2018. 

"The LESI 2018 Annual Conference is going to be the #1 event of the year for licensing, intellectual property (IP), business development and technology transfer professionals from industry, universities, research institutions, and service providers." says meeting co-chair and former LES (U.S.A. & Canada) Past-President Russell Levine, "The number of speakers from industry, and the seniority of these speakers, is unprecedented. Plenary, mini-plenary and workshop sessions at which they'll be speaking will address cutting-edge topics in life sciences, high tech, consumer products, valuation, non-profits, cryptocurrencies and many, many others."

Russell explains, "These substantive sessions will provide attendees with knowledge, insights and other takeaways that will enhance, and add value to, their day-to-day licensing, IP, business development and tech transfer activities." He adds, "Networking opportunities will also be unprecedented given the number of speakers and attendees from around the globe. I'm confident that LESI 2018 will raise the bar for licensing, IP, business development and tech transfer conferences worldwide." 

Attendees won't want to miss Dr. Jennifer Golbeck, Director, Human-Computer Interaction Lab, University of Maryland, delivering her keynote address on Tuesday, May 1. She will speak on "Datashock: Artificial Intelligence, Connectedness, and Reading for the Big Data Future." Some of the questions that she'll pose and address include: (1) How will Artificial Intelligence(AI) help people make better decisions?; (2) How will it affect or even potentially replace some human tasks altogether?; (3) How could it alter long-standing practices in your industry?; (4) Where do business opportunities lie in leveraging new technological capabilities, and how can organizations prepare for these changes? The key, according to Dr. Golbeck, is to focus on the strategic impact of these technologies. 

This conference promises to be relevant to all licensing, IP, business development, and tech transfer executives with expert panels balanced across all major sectors. Discussions will revolve around: 

• Tackling dealmaking challenges in today's turbulent environment
• Gaining practical and valuable insight, and lessons learned, from deals done
• Driving business value with successful IP strategies and IP management
• LES Standards Initiative and improving IP Management

The line-up of industry-leading speakers in mini-plenary and workshop 

sessions includes:

• Stasia Ogden, VP, Global Patent Litigation, GSK; John Calvo, Senior Counsel, Bayer;   
  and Christina Allegrini, VP, Fresenius Medical Care discussing the Keys to Success  when doing Major Life Sciences Deals 
• Theo Stamatiadis, GE Power (Switzerland) on "Know-How Licensing"
• Julia Barnes-Weise, Global Healthcare Innovation Alliance Accelerator, leading a  panel on "Value of IP to Non-Profit Institutions"
• Patrick Terroir, Innovation Legal, leading a panel on "SMEs and the Patent Challenge"
• Alfred Chaouat, Technicolor, leading the "Patent Pool Mock Negotiation—Part 1 & 2"

Enjoy outdoor networking at Monday night's event on the pool terrace overlooking the San Diego Bay. Don't miss the Gala Reception as the meeting wraps-up on Tuesday evening. The Manchester Grand Hyatt near downtown San Diego offers a spectacular waterfront resort-like setting, complete with shopping, dining, and entertainment venues. It promises many indoor/outdoor networking opportunities. For the schedule of workshops, see Pages 16-19.

For those new to LES, a note of explanation: LES International (LESI) is the umbrella group that all LES members also belong to. As Past-President Mel Jager explained, "If you are an LES member, you are an LES International member." It gives advantages and access to 33 member Societies around the world for licensing advice and networking.

LES (U.S.A. and Canada) is hosting this LESI Annual Conference for the first time since 2008. Because of the opportunity to host this Annual Conference for, and network with attendees from, all 33 LESI National Societies, LESI 2018 will be held in lieu of a U.S.A. & Canada only Spring Meeting. 

Don't miss out, be a part of it and register now at www.lesi2018.org.