" Being at the intersection of science, business and law makes for a lot of variety – especially when you are working at the world’s largest biomedical research institution. "
Intro:
Steven M. Ferguson, CLP
Special Advisor, NIH Office of Technology Transfer
Background:
Steven M. Ferguson currently serves as Special Advisor at the NIH Office of Technology Transfer where he has worked since 1990. The biomedical technology transfer program at NIH is one of the world’s largest with a portfolio that includes about 1700 active licenses with aggregate sales greater than $6B per year that is based upon research that has also generated 34 FDA-approved drugs & vaccines.
A former chemist at the National Cancer Institute and biotech industry product manager, Mr. Ferguson holds Master's Degrees in Business Administration (George Washington University) and Chemistry (University of Cincinnati) as well as Bachelor’s Degree in Chemistry (Case Western Reserve University).
A registered Patent Agent and a Certified Licensing Professional (CLP), Mr. Ferguson is faculty and Technology Transfer Department Chair at the Foundation for Advanced Education in the Sciences (FAES) Graduate School at NIH and the Biotechnology Industry Organization “BIO Boot Camp”. He also serves as a business reviewer or advisory board member for the US-India Science & Technology Endowment Fund, Maryland Industrial Partnerships, Maryland Innovation Initiative, Virginia Bio-Life Science Gap Fund, the Journal of Commercial Biotechnology and the DOD Congressionally-Directed Medical Research Program.
He has published extensively in the field of technology transfer and has also received the AUTM President’s Award (AUTM Band), the AUTM Volunteer Service Award, the NIH Director’s Award, the FAES Instruction Award, four “Deal of Distinction” awards and the Frank Barnes Mentoring Award from the Licensing Executive Society, six Federal Laboratory Consortium Awards, and fifteen NIH Merit Awards in recognition of his service and activities in technology transfer.
FAES: What was your initial reaction when you learned you would be receiving the 2020 LES Frank Barnes Mentor Award?
SF: I was quite excited to get the news about winning the award in 2020 as I had actually been the runner-up for it the previous year! For me it again showed the value of perseverance. Keep working hard and good things eventually do really come your way!
FAES: What are you most looking forward to for the upcoming semester?
SF:The field of technology transfer and licensing has been a dream come true for me professionally. Being at the intersection of science, business and law makes for a lot of variety – especially when you are working at the world’s largest biomedical research institution. It has been very exciting (and challenging at times) to see things that I have worked on reach the market as vaccines, therapeutics or diagnostics. There have now been 34 FDA-approved drugs and vaccines directly arising from the NIH intramural research program and each one has a fascinating tech transfer story.
FAES has been part of my life at NIH since the very beginning. As an NCI intramural scientist in the 1970s, I had FAES health insurance. When I returned to NIH in 1990 from industry to take a tech transfer position, I took FAES Bio-Trac courses to refresh my science. Not long afterwards, I became a guest speaker at our (single) tech transfer course and then later became its instructor, then the department chair and now on the FAES Board. I do really consider FAES to be “family” – my college bookstore-trained daughter even once filled in temporarily for a FAES Bookstore staff member out on maternity leave.