Pathways
Translation Takes Many Forms
Your innovation doesn't have to become a startup. Research translation means moving discoveries from the lab to real-world application through multiple pathways—each with different benefits, requirements, and outcomes.
The Auster Center helps you explore which pathway fits your technology, market opportunity, and goals.
Five Pathways to Impact
Licensing
Partner with an established company to commercialize your technology. They handle development, manufacturing, and sales while you maintain your research focus.
- When this works: Technology fits existing product lines, established market exists, you want to stay in research, clear commercial application
- Example outcomes: Licensing fees, royalties, continued research relationship, seeing your technology deployed at scale
Industry Partnership
Collaborate with corporate partners on joint development. Shared investment, complementary capabilities, co-developed solutions.
- When this works: Technology requires significant development, industry expertise essential, both parties bring critical capabilities, long development timeline
- Example outcomes: Sponsored research funding, joint publications, co-owned IP, potential product deployment, student placement opportunities
Startup Formation
Launch a new venture to bring innovation to market. Build a company around your technology with team, investors, and business model.
- When this works: No existing companies serve the market, requires new business model, you're committed to entrepreneurship, significant market opportunity validated
- Example outcomes: Company creation, venture funding, team building, product launch, potential acquisition or public offering
Policy & Standards Influence
Shape regulation, industry standards, or best practices. Create impact through guidance frameworks rather than products.
- When this works: Innovation addresses systemic issues, regulatory change needed for adoption, standards critical for deployment, public good focus
- Example outcomes: Adopted standards, regulatory guidance, industry-wide implementation, policy influence, citation in frameworks
Direct Technology Transfer
Deploy through government agencies, nonprofits, or mission-driven organizations without commercial intermediaries.
- When this works: Public sector application, non-commercial deployment, mission-driven end users, social impact focus
- Example outcomes: Government adoption, nonprofit implementation, public benefit deployment, continued development support
How We Help You Navigate
Validate Market Need
Through NSF I-Corps customer discovery, understand whether people actually have the problems your innovation solves—before investing years in the wrong direction.
Assess Your Options
Explore which pathways fit your technology, market, and goals. We help you understand trade-offs and requirements for each route.
Make Connections
Access our network of industry partners, investors, government agencies, and mission-driven organizations relevant to your chosen pathway.
Start With Customer Discovery
Before committing to any pathway, validate your assumptions through systematic customer discovery.
NSF I-Corps provides structured training in understanding customer needs, market dynamics, and value propositions across three program levels: Spark (3-week introduction), Fusion (self-paced development), and Nationals (intensive 7-week program).
Customer discovery informs which pathway makes sense and strengthens your position—whether pitching to licensees, partners, investors, or agencies.
Two Partners, One Journey
Choosing and pursuing a translation pathway at Tufts involves two distinct offices—and understanding what each one does helps you use both more effectively. The Auster Center and Tufts Technology Commercialization (TC) are complementary, not overlapping. They work best when engaged together.
Auster Center for Applied Innovation and Research
The Auster Center is your strategic partner in translation. We help you understand the landscape—who your potential customers are, which pathway fits your technology and goals, and how to build the relationships and evidence that make you competitive. We work with you before, during, and after you engage TC, and we stay with you through the full journey from discovery to deployment.
We focus on:
- Validating market need through customer discovery (NSF I-Corps)
- Assessing your technology's readiness and identifying gaps
- Helping you choose the right translation pathway
- Building industry, government, and academic partnerships
- Supporting funding applications (SBIR/STTR, NSF TTP, seed grants)
- Connecting you with investors, partners, and collaborators
- Helping you frame and position your technology for external audiences
Tufts Technology Commercialization (TC)
TC is your institutional partner in IP protection and commercial licensing. Once you disclose an invention, TC takes responsibility for evaluating it, seeking patent protection, identifying commercial partners, and negotiating the agreements that transfer your technology to the marketplace.
They focus on:
- Receiving and evaluating invention disclosures
- Filing and prosecuting patent applications
- Identifying and evaluating potential licensees
- Negotiating exclusive and non-exclusive licenses
- Administering licensing income distribution (including back to inventors)
- Managing material transfer and data use agreements
- Supporting startup formation around Tufts IP
The two offices work best in sequence and in parallel. The Auster Center helps you prepare—validating market need, building relationships, and positioning your technology—while TC handles protection and formal commercialization agreements. In many cases, Auster Center relationships with industry partners lead directly to licensing conversations that TC then structures and executes.
If you are not sure which office to contact first, start with the Auster Center. We will help you orient, and connect you to TC at the right moment.
Your Next Step
Exploring possibilities?
Schedule a conversation to discuss your technology and explore potential pathways.
Ready to validate?
Apply to I-Corps Spark for systematic customer discovery.
Need funding?
Explore SBIR/STTR, TTP, and grant support.
Ready to protect your IP?
Disclose your invention to Tufts Technology Commercialization before your next public presentation.