The Commercialization Director Associate serves as the strategic and operational leader of the commercialization function within UK Innovate’s Technology Commercialization team. This position leads a team responsible for advancing University of Kentucky research assets toward real-world application through licensing, startup formation, and industry partnerships. The Commercialization Director Associate is responsible for overseeing commercialization processes, directing team priorities, and ensuring measurable progress toward executed agreements, startup creation, and meaningful industry engagement.
This role will manage a defined technology portfolio—primarily in life science, drug discovery, drug development, or related biomedical innovation sectors—and model best practices for commercialization execution, market outreach, partner engagement, and data-driven decision-making. The position leads commercialization managers, sets team goals, ensures disciplined pipeline execution, and serves as the primary decision authority on commercialization strategy and deal progression.
Key responsibilities include engaging inventors early and throughout the innovation lifecycle; defining commercialization pathways; identifying qualified licensing partners or startup teams; evaluating market readiness and competitive positioning; and advising teams on SBIR/STTR resources, translational funding opportunities, and partnership structuring. The Commercialization Director Associate will coordinate closely with UK Innovate’s IP Development team to ensure market insights drive patent decisions, and with the Contracts Team to deliver well-framed commercial terms that support execution of licenses, options, and interinstitutional agreements.
A critical aspect of this role is leading industry-facing business development and representing the University externally at events, conferences, and industry engagements. The Commercialization Director Associate serves as advocate for UK inventors, departments, and early-stage founders, and plays a central role in developing strategic relationships that advance technology deployment and startup growth.
Growth in commercialization outcomes—including executed agreements, startups, industry relationships, and market-informed go/no-go decisions—is a significant strategic priority for the University. The Commercialization Director Associate contributes to these goals by leading commercialization activities, ensuring the team consistently advances opportunities, and delivering high-impact support to innovators that strengthens research impact, economic development outcomes, and the visibility of UK innovations nationally.
