Case Study
The University of Sherbrooke (Quebec) Tech Transfer Office Boosts its Productivity by Implementing Sophia
Background
Located in Canada, in the Province of Quebec, the University of Sherbrooke is a French-speaking institution that offers students the opportunity to benefit from an academic education that is recognized and valued around the world. More than 85% of the approximately 33,000 students are from outside of Sherbrooke and come from over 98 countries.
The University of Sherbrooke has earned a reputation for its hard-hitting research, which has led to major discoveries and innovations in a variety of disciplines.
Opportunity
Data Inaccuracy
Before 2017, the University of Sherbrooke Tech Transfer Office (TransferTech Sherbrooke) was maintaining its data manually using spreadsheets. Each team member had their own files, used their own nomenclature, and there was no easy way to share information across the team. This led to inaccuracy, incomplete information, and a lot of frustration.
Business Intelligence and KPIs
While managing their IP process manually, it was almost impossible to build accurate KPIs and action proper follow-up on operational needs and trends. In addition, human resources were needed to be invested in to obtain annual statistics – both internally to leadership and for the annual AUTM survey.
Inefficiencies and Time Consuming
The time and resources to find the right data, documents, and to follow-up on patents and projects were too time consuming. The Tech Transfer office would have to keep track of everything manually and it would take days to pull together the right data for the right project.
Approach
In a vision to reach optimal management of their growing operation, the Tech Transfer Office looked at various data management systems to improve its efficiency, ensure data accuracy and develop reliable KPIs. They found the Sophia solution was the best choice. Wellspring’s team worked closely with the TransferTech team to collect and analyze the initial data and documents classification. Additionally, the Wellspring team reviewed the challenge areas and defined the final structure of the data and information needed by TransferTech
to complete their reports leading to a clear migration plan. Once the system was ready, the Wellspring Customer Success team provided comprehensive training on the Sophia solution and continues to support the TransferTech team.
Results
In a vision to reach optimal management of their growing operation, the Tech Transfer Office looked at various data management systems to improve its efficiency, ensure data accuracy and develop reliable KPIs. They found the Sophia solution was the best choice. Wellspring’s team worked closely with the TransferTech team to collect and analyze the initial data and documents classification. Additionally, the Wellspring team reviewed the challenge areas and defined the final structure of the data and information needed by TransferTech
to complete their reports leading to a clear migration plan. Once the system was ready, the Wellspring Customer Success team provided comprehensive training on the Sophia solution and continues to support the TransferTech team.
Tech Transfer and Innovation
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