Job Purpose:
To lead and develop the Technology Transfer Office within Dubai Health Innovations, driving the identification, protection, development, and commercialization of intellectual property and innovation outputs arising from research, clinical practice, digital health initiatives, and health design activities.
The postholder will establish and execute a strategic framework for IP management, licensing, spin-out creation, digital solution commercialization, and translational funding, supporting Dubai Health's ambition to become a leading academic health innovation ecosystem delivering measurable economic and societal impact.
Roles & Responsibilities:
Strategic Leadership
- Develop and implement the institutional strategy for IP management, technology transfer, and commercialization aligned with Dubai Health strategic priorities.
- Establish a professional, scalable TTO function capable of supporting digital health, biomedical, clinical, and health design innovation pipelines.
- Contribute to institutional financial planning and portfolio development to drive sustainable commercial income and enterprise growth.
- Ensure governance frameworks, policies, and procedures for IP identification, protection, and exploitation are robust and aligned with international best practice and UAE regulatory requirements.
Intellectual Property Management
- Oversee identification, evaluation, and protection of IP including patents, software, algorithms, data assets, copyright, design rights, and know-how.
- Implement structured invention disclosure and innovation evaluation processes across research and clinical departments.
- Manage the institutional IP portfolio, balancing cost, risk, and return, including oversight of patent attorneys and specialist advisors.
- Ensure appropriate IP strategies are embedded within sponsored research, digital health collaborations, and industry partnerships.
Commercialization and Technology Transfer
- Lead negotiation and execution of license agreements, option agreements, assignments, and digital solution deployment agreements.
- Oversee formation and development of spin-out and startup companies, including equity structuring, governance, and shareholder arrangements in line with institutional policy.
- Provide strategic advice on valuation, deal structuring, and commercial risk management for health technologies and digital health platforms.
- Identify and secure translational and proof-of-concept funding to advance innovations toward regulatory readiness, market validation, and investment.
- Innovation Partnerships and Ecosystem Development
- Build and maintain strategic relationships with industry, healthcare providers, investors, regulators, and public sector entities.
- Enable commercial pathways for Biomedical, tech Bio, digital health solutions, AI tools, medical devices, and service design innovations developed within Dubai Health.
- Represent Dubai Health within regional and international innovation and enterprise networks.
- Collaborate with clinical, research, academic, digital, and legal teams to ensure integrated support for innovation and commercialization activities.
Leadership and Governance
- Provide leadership and line management to the TTO and commercialization team.
- Establish KPIs across the innovation pipeline including disclosures, IP filings, licenses executed, spinouts formed, funding secured, and commercial income generated.
- Deliver strategic reporting to senior leadership, identifying risks, trends, and portfolio performance.
- Ensure compliance with institutional, regulatory, and ethical requirements in all commercialization activities.
Qualification Requirements:
- MBA or postgraduate qualification with specialization in entrepreneurship, finance, strategy, or commercial management.
- Master's degree in law, Business Administration, Innovation Management, Intellectual Property, Biomedical Sciences, Engineering, Digital Health, or a closely related field.
- Professional certifications: Recognized professional certification in technology transfer or intellectual property (e.g., RTTP, AUTM, UK Knowledge Exchange, or equivalent international credential stems.
Experience Requirements:
- 1015 years in Significant experience leading or delivering IP protection and commercialization activities, including patent filing and licensing negotiations.
- Experience establishing or supporting spin-out companies and engaging with investors and commercial partners.
- 5 years team management.
