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Allinson Named Executive Director of Technology Commercialization

AUSTIN – Bryan T. Allinson, a technology commercialization expert at Ohio University (Athens), has been appointed executive director for technology commercialization at The University of Texas System. The appointment, announced today (Jan. 10) by UT System Chancellor Francisco G. Cigarroa, M.D., is effective Jan. 18.

Allinson, a research engineer and biotech start-up entrepreneur, is director of the Ohio University’s technology transfer office and chair of the university’s business development committee. At the university, Bryan helped direct the monetization of Ohio’s royalties in SOMAVERT®, marketed by Pfizer for treatment of acromegaly, an endrocrine condition that affects more than 40,000 patients worldwide. Ohio is a national leader for research return on investment.

He previously served as director of Geisinger Ventures, a division of the Geisinger Health System, where he founded the technology commercialization office. He joined Geisinger in 2005 after serving as the H. J. Heinz Technology Commercialization Fellow at Carnegie Mellon University. Prior to that, he was an equity holder and part of the founding team of ICX Agentase, a successful biotech start-up and defense contractor.

“We are extremely delighted that Bryan Allinson has agreed to join the UT System,” Chancellor Cigarroa said. “At Ohio University and Geisinger Health System, Bryan demonstrated a strong grasp of the importance of the commercialization of research to both the economy and the academic enterprise. He knows how to bring the best of both worlds together in a mutually beneficial partnership, and we know he'll do a wonderful job for the System and the people of Texas.”

"I'm excited about coming to Texas and joining the administration of one of our nation's elite university systems," Allinson said. "The investments in research within The University of Texas System are positively impacting the global competitive landscape, creating high technology jobs for Texas and positively benefiting society for all Americans. It is an honor and privilege for me to become a part of that endeavor."

Allinson was credited with signing the largest up-front license deal ever at Geisinger, including technology commercialization licenses to biopharma, diagnostics and device partners. Most recently, Allinson executed licenses in fields ranging from cancer therapeutics to alternative fuels to advanced aeronautics.

As executive director of technology commercialization and new ventures, Allinson will be responsible for coordinating and promoting commercial development and investment in technology developed by UT institutions and start-up companies associated with the institutions. He will be particularly focused on fostering effective relationships among the UT System and UT institutions, the broader university community, governmental entities, foundations and institutions, regional economic development organizations and the private sector. Allinson will work closely with state economic development programs, specifically the Emerging Technology Fund (ETF) and the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT).

Allinson will be building on a strong foundation. Recently, the UT System was ranked the world’s third-best higher education operation in terms of patent strength, according to the national trade publication, Intellectual Property Today. The UT System climbed two spots from 2009 on the publication’s annual “Patent Scorecard” for universities, which evaluated 132 universities from the United States, Japan, Taiwan and Switzerland. The publication uses an index that incorporates relative strength of universities’ patent portfolios then provides an assessment of the institutions’ intellectual property quality and quantity.

Allinson holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Pittsburgh. He earned an MBA from Carnegie Mellon University. He is active in the Association for University Technology Managers, Licensing Executive Society and Healthcare Financial Management Association.

About The University of Texas System

Serving the educational and health care needs of Texans for more than 125 years, The University of Texas System is one of the nation’s largest higher education systems, with nine academic campuses and six health institutions. The UT System has an annual operating budget of $12.8 billion (FY 2011) including $2.5 billion in sponsored programs funded by federal, state, local and private sources. Preliminary student enrollment exceeded 202,000 in the 2010 academic year. The UT System confers more than one-third of the state's undergraduate degrees and educates nearly three-fourths of the state's health care professionals annually. With more than 84,000 employees, the UT System is one of the largest employers in the state.