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This is a solicitation for support, sponsorship and a home for my proposed workshop on IP and Research Strategies.
The original intent was to address the issue of conflict between the need to publish or perish and the need to withhold publication until a patent is filed.
Recently I have updated the workshop and given at one of the Singapore Biodesign event in 2023 and it was well recieved. Attendence include gradute students, and PIs from A*Star.
This is a solicitation for support, sponsorship and a home for my proposed workshop on IP and Research Strategies.
The original intent was to address the issue of conflict between the need to publish or perish and the need to withhold publication until a patent is filed.
Recently I have updated the workshop and given at one of the Singapore Biodesign event in 2023 and it was well recieved. Attendence include gradute students, and PIs from A*Star.
This workshop is based on my experience in research, senior university administration, patent filing formalities and surgery ready product developement. My biodesign course methodology was anchored on problem based learning from my professor days at MacMaster University (Canada) the original home of problem based learning.
This workshop is based on my experience in research, senior university administration, patent filing formalities and surgery ready product developement. My biodesign course methodology was anchored on problem based learning from my professor days at MacMaster University (Canada) the original home of problem based learning.
This comprehensive workshop consist of 3 main sections plus a small group hands on clinic and coaching on Business Plan Presentation:
This comprehensive workshop consist of 3 main sections plus a small group hands on clinic and coaching on Business Plan Presentation:
- IP Fundamentals
- Improve your Research Strategy and Add Value to your research by:
2.1 Generate a clinical statement to define field of use/investigation
2.2 Brain storming for concept generation and concept selection
2.3 Technology Deep Dive
2.4 Patent Search and Review - Patent Filing Formalities and Fast Tract Review of Patents
- Identifying the unmet need
- Hands on Review Clinic
- Business Plan Presentation
- Post workshop consultation and assistance in grant writing and patent filing
1. IP Fundamentals cover the landscape of IP options available to protect your commercialisable ideas.
You will be schooled to answer all questions relating to intangible assets by drawing upon the analogy with tangible assets.
At end of this segment participant would have sufficient knowledge to determine the most appropriate mode of IP protection for their commercialisable ideas.
1. IP Fundamentals cover the landscape of IP options available to protect your commercialisable ideas.
You will be schooled to answer all questions relating to intangible assets by drawing upon the analogy with tangible assets.
At end of this segment participant would have sufficient knowledge to determine the most appropriate mode of IP protection for their commercialisable ideas.
Research Strategy
2. Improve your Research Strategy and Add Value to your research by:
2. Improve your Research Strategy and Add Value to your research by:
2.1 Generate a clinical/problem statement to define field of use/investigation
How to generate a clinical/problem statement to ring fence a field of investigation or use for the proposed technology but not necessary to propose a possible solution at this stage.
2.1 Generate a clinical/problem statement to define field of use/investigation
How to generate a clinical/problem statement to ring fence a field of investigation or use for the proposed technology but not necessary to propose a possible solution at this stage.
This is important if you have several areas of investigation and several PhD students, you should have a clinical/problem statement for each so that research effort is not duplicated or conflict with each other.
This is important if you have several areas of investigation and several PhD students, you should have a clinical/problem statement for each so that research effort is not duplicated or conflict with each other.
Brain Storming for potential concepts/solutions
2. Improve your Research Strategy and Add Value to your research by:
2. Improve your Research Strategy and Add Value to your research by:
2.1 ....... clinical/problem statement ......
2.1 ....... clinical/problem statement ......
2.2 Brain storming for concept generation and concept selection.
2.2 Brain storming for concept generation and concept selection.
The Clinical/Problem Statement is the starting point for the research group to generate an array of possible solutions/concepts by brain storming. The research group then collectively select the most most promising possible solution/concept.
The Clinical/Problem Statement is the starting point for the research group to generate an array of possible solutions/concepts by brain storming. The research group then collectively select the most most promising possible solution/concept.
Open Alex
2. Improve your Research Strategy and Add Value to your research by:
2. Improve your Research Strategy and Add Value to your research by:
2.1 ....... clinical/problem statement ......
2.1 ....... clinical/problem statement ......
2.2 Brain storming ...........
2.2 Brain storming ...........
Having an idea of a promising solution based on brain storming and concept selection, the research group is ready to do a state of art survey base on 2.3 open literature review and 2.4 patent survey.
Having an idea of a promising solution based on brain storming and concept selection, the research group is ready to do a state of art survey base on 2.3 open literature review and 2.4 patent survey.
2.3 Technology Deep Dive
Participant will be taught how to select a list of relevant publications derived from AI platforms (Gemini AI), Open Alex and Google Scholar search.
2.3 Technology Deep Dive
Participant will be taught how to select a list of relevant publications derived from AI platforms (Gemini AI), Open Alex and Google Scholar search.
The literature search results are then summarised in a spreadsheet provided in the workshop. Each bibliography is linked to the original PDFs downloaded from your institutional online subscription.
The literature search results are then summarised in a spreadsheet provided in the workshop. Each bibliography is linked to the original PDFs downloaded from your institutional online subscription.
Patent is a very rich repository of the current state of art.
The government has given the inventor a monopoly of his invention for a limited time in exchange for the inventor to fully disclose his invention with full enablement in his patent application. This quid pro quo arrangement is to ensure that when the detail of how the invention works is in the public domain science and technology will progress at a faster pace when the next inventor/researcher in the same field do not have to start from scratch and re-invent the wheel. Herein lies an ingredient for my secret sauce to successful grant application and research execution:
Patent is a very rich repository of the current state of art.
The government has given the inventor a monopoly of his invention for a limited time in exchange for the inventor to fully disclose his invention with full enablement in his patent application. This quid pro quo arrangement is to ensure that when the detail of how the invention works is in the public domain science and technology will progress at a faster pace when the next inventor/researcher in the same field do not have to start from scratch and re-invent the wheel. Herein lies an ingredient for my secret sauce to successful grant application and research execution:
- Formulate and launch a successful research program including the drafting of a research grant application.
- Help PhD candidates formulate their research proposals and execution of their research plan.
Sir Isaac Newton famously stated in 1675
"If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants,"
emphasizing the importance of building upon the work of those who came before.
3. Patent Filing Formalities and Fast Tract Review of Patents.
3. Patent Filing Formalities and Fast Tract Review of Patents.
Mostly only patent attorney understand all the arcane details of a patent document that is written in a language to avoid ambiguity. This public domain valuable vault of knowledge is not generally decipherable by researchers without the proper training.
Mostly only patent attorney understand all the arcane details of a patent document that is written in a language to avoid ambiguity. This public domain valuable vault of knowledge is not generally decipherable by researchers without the proper training.
This section of the workshop is to address this glaring deficiency by providing training in how to quickly and efficiently read and understand patent documents.
This section of the workshop is to address this glaring deficiency by providing training in how to quickly and efficiently read and understand patent documents.
Patent claims are the theoretical boundaries of ownership of IP claimed by the patent. An understanding and ability to interpret patent claims is the key to defining the embodiment of the invention.
Two main topics covered here are:
Patent claims are the theoretical boundaries of ownership of IP claimed by the patent. An understanding and ability to interpret patent claims is the key to defining the embodiment of the invention.
Two main topics covered here are:
- How to efficiently perform fast track reviews of patent documents
- How to read patent claims and construct claim trees to understand the embodiment of a reviewed patent.
A summary spreadsheet will be provided to organise the analysis of patents reviewed.
A summary spreadsheet will be provided to organise the analysis of patents reviewed.
An understanding of the patent application process and knowledge of filing formalities such as those listed above will enable you to communicate effectively with your patent attorney to reduce cost and to ensure your filed patent will optimally and broadly protect your commercialisable ideas.
What is the Unmet Need?
What is the Unmet Need?
4. Identifying the unmet need
4. Identifying the unmet need
This is to ensure that your research is addressing a problem that do not currently have a solution or a disease that do not have an adequate treatment.
Possible sources to derive unmet need are:
1. PIs, consultants and key opion leaders.
2. Open academic literature survey
3. During patent reviews, particular note to be taken
of the section on deficiency of prior art and how they are overcome.
This is to ensure that your research is addressing a problem that do not currently have a solution or a disease that do not have an adequate treatment.
Possible sources to derive unmet need are:
1. PIs, consultants and key opion leaders.
2. Open academic literature survey
3. During patent reviews, particular note to be taken
of the section on deficiency of prior art and how they are overcome.
Stanford Biodesign emphasised the importance of clearly identifying an unmet need.
Stanford Biodesign emphasised the importance of clearly identifying an unmet need.
Actually unmet need originate with new drug development. It is important justification for approval from Institutional Review Board and regulatory clearance to show the current drug treatments are inadequate.
Actually unmet need originate with new drug development. It is important justification for approval from Institutional Review Board and regulatory clearance to show the current drug treatments are inadequate.
5. Hands on Review Clinic
Is conducted to ensure that all the topics previously taught are adequately understood and absorbed.
3 teams are each given 15 minutes to present an assigned patent for each team analyse while the other two teams follow to judge an adequate analysis of the assigned patent has been carried.
5. Hands on Review Clinic
Is conducted to ensure that all the topics previously taught are adequately understood and absorbed.
3 teams are each given 15 minutes to present an assigned patent for each team analyse while the other two teams follow to judge an adequate analysis of the assigned patent has been carried.
6. Business Plan Presentation
I won the NUS Business Plan Competition using IMHO key metrics for a successful venture pitch:
6.1 Technology Analogy
6.2 Secret Sauce, Go to market strategy and time to burn neutral
6.3 Sparklines
6.4 Radar Charts
6. Business Plan Presentation
I won the NUS Business Plan Competition using IMHO key metrics for a successful venture pitch:
6.1 Technology Analogy
6.2 Secret Sauce, Go to market strategy and time to burn neutral
6.3 Sparklines
6.4 Radar Charts
Mac Air Specs (BORING & FORGETABLE) Finish
- Gold, Silver, Space Gray
- Retina display
- 13.3-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit display with IPS technology; 2560-by-1600 native resolution at 227 pixels per inch 400 nits
- Apple M1 chip
- 8-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores
- 7-core GPU, 8-core GPU
- Built-in 49.9‑watt‑hour lithium‑polymer battery
- 30W USB-C Power Adapter
- Charging
- DisplayPort
- Thunderbolt 3 (up to 40Gb/s)
- USB 4 (up to 40Gb/s)
- 8GB unified memory
- Configurable to 16GB
- 256GB SSD
- Configurable to 512GB SSD, 1TB, or 2TB
6. Business Plan Presentation
6.1 Technology Analogy
6. Business Plan Presentation
6.1 Technology Analogy
Steve Jobs using the analogy of the Mac Air slipping inside an A4 envelope immediately convey a memorable image of compactness, lightweigt and portability.
Various other examples of powerful analogies will also be given.
6. Business Plan Presentation
6.1 Technology Analogy....
6.2 Secret Sauce, Go to market strategy and time to neutral burn.
This is Howard Anderson CEO of Yankeetek. He runs a ventre fund situated just outside MIT to harvest the best technologies and startups from MIT. After listening to numerous presentations from startups looking for funding, he then require the presenting teams to use his presentation template that included pain point, secret sause and time to neural burn.
6. Business Plan Presentation
6.1 Technology Analogy....
6.2 Secret Sauce, Go to market strategy and time to neutral burn.
This is Howard Anderson CEO of Yankeetek. He runs a ventre fund situated just outside MIT to harvest the best technologies and startups from MIT. After listening to numerous presentations from startups looking for funding, he then require the presenting teams to use his presentation template that included pain point, secret sause and time to neural burn.
I have modified his template and included additional metric requirement.
I have modified his template and included additional metric requirement.
Above is an example on the use of use sparkline.
Above is an example on the use of use sparkline.
6. Business Plan Presentation
6.1 Technology Analogy
6.2 Secret Sauce, ...........
6.3 Sparklines
A sparkline is a very small line chart/icon in line with the flow of the text.
I have leverage on the fact we tend to remember images more readily than words. I recommend designing an sparkline icon to represent the technology. Each time when a technology is mention the sparkline icon can be inserted in line with the text.
Sparklines can be generated using Excel and Google sheet.
6. Business Plan Presentation
6.1 Technology Analogy
6.2 Secret Sauce, ...........
6.3 Sparklines
A sparkline is a very small line chart/icon in line with the flow of the text.
I have leverage on the fact we tend to remember images more readily than words. I recommend designing an sparkline icon to represent the technology. Each time when a technology is mention the sparkline icon can be inserted in line with the text.
Sparklines can be generated using Excel and Google sheet.
6. Business Plan Presentation
6.1 Technology Analogy
6.2 Secret Sauce, Go to market strategy and time to burn neutral
6.3 Sparklines
6.4 Radar Charts
6. Business Plan Presentation
6.1 Technology Analogy
6.2 Secret Sauce, Go to market strategy and time to burn neutral
6.3 Sparklines
6.4 Radar Charts
A radar chart is a chart / plot that consists of a sequence of equi-angular spokes with each spoke representing one of the variable metrics.
The audience usually forget the individual slide when the next slide is advanced.
Radar Chart summarise the key points of the business plan presentation in a compact radar chart on a single slide. Each spoke on the chart can be linked back to the original slide for impact and transparency.
A radar chart is a chart / plot that consists of a sequence of equi-angular spokes with each spoke representing one of the variable metrics.
The audience usually forget the individual slide when the next slide is advanced.
Radar Chart summarise the key points of the business plan presentation in a compact radar chart on a single slide. Each spoke on the chart can be linked back to the original slide for impact and transparency.
7. Post workshop consultation and assistance in grant writing and patent filing
7. Post workshop consultation and assistance in grant writing and patent filing
This can be arranged on a one to one engagement.
Fees can be negotiated to be paid on the successful commercialisation of IP.
This can be arranged on a one to one engagement.
Fees can be negotiated to be paid on the successful commercialisation of IP.
The DJI Average since May 7, 2025
This workshop methodology and philosophy is inspired by Woody Flowers (MIT professor of design) and Dean Kaman the original inventor of Segway fame.
This workshop methodology and philosophy is inspired by Woody Flowers (MIT professor of design) and Dean Kaman the original inventor of Segway fame.
Dean Kaman is one of the earliest independent inventor of medical devices.
Dean Kaman is one of the earliest independent inventor of medical devices.
The first portable infusion pump was developed by Dean Kaman. He licenced it to Baxter and made him a millionaire before the of age 30.
The first portable infusion pump was developed by Dean Kaman. He licenced it to Baxter and made him a millionaire before the of age 30.
Dean Kaman invented the iBot a motorised wheel chair that can not only climb stairs but also balance on 2 wheels using gyroscopic control.
Dean Kaman invented the iBot a motorised wheel chair that can not only climb stairs but also balance on 2 wheels using gyroscopic control.
The iBot was then morphed into the famous Segway
The iBot was then morphed into the famous Segway
Woody Flowers and Dean Kaman at the First Robotic Game in Disney Land.
Prof. Flowers taught me alot about design centric thinking.
Woody Flowers and Dean Kaman at the First Robotic Game in Disney Land.
Prof. Flowers taught me alot about design centric thinking.
Dean Kaman lives in a 40,000 sq ft mansion with a fully equiped workshop.
He taught me the importance of making your own working prototype before filing a patent.
Dean Kaman lives in a 40,000 sq ft mansion with a fully equiped workshop.
He taught me the importance of making your own working prototype before filing a patent.
I was a judge at Dean Kaman's First Robotic Game for 10 years and I have gotten to know him well.
I introduce a similar robotic game to Singapore and is now the annual flagship robotic game event for the Singapore Science Centre.
I was a judge at Dean Kaman's First Robotic Game for 10 years and I have gotten to know him well.
I introduce a similar robotic game to Singapore and is now the annual flagship robotic game event for the Singapore Science Centre.
The importance of design centric thinking
BioDesign - design centric thinking
I launched the BioDesign module at NUS more than 20 years ago drawing from Woody Flowers' design centric thinking approach.
This BioDesign module was voted 10 years in a row as the most valuable undergraduate module by all those who have taken this module.
Testimonial verification available upon request.
Examples of success are stories are shown on my webpage.
It show how the skill learned in this module can be applied to any project the student may face later in their career. Which is why they voted it as the most valuable undergraduate module.
BioDesign - design centric thinking
I launched the BioDesign module at NUS more than 20 years ago drawing from Woody Flowers' design centric thinking approach.
This BioDesign module was voted 10 years in a row as the most valuable undergraduate module by all those who have taken this module.
Testimonial verification available upon request.
Examples of success are stories are shown on my webpage.
It show how the skill learned in this module can be applied to any project the student may face later in their career. Which is why they voted it as the most valuable undergraduate module.
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