Stephen Susalka

Dr. Stephen J. Susalka is the Chief Executive Officer of AUTM, a 3,000+ member non-profit association, focused on supporting and enhancing technology transfer globally, and oversees a cooperative partnership with the Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer to support federal technology transfer for more than 300 federal labs across the US.

As an international leader in technology commercialization, Dr. Susalka uses his experience in intellectual property protection, licensing, and company formation to empower, promote and connect AUTM members as they advance the next generation of ground-breaking innovations into the products and services of tomorrow.

A regular speaker on technology transfer issues, Dr. Susalka has frequently presented on Capitol Hill and internationally on topics ranging from start-up formation to the evolution of the profession. He has worked with senior leaders from around the world on strategies to enhance the commercialization of early-stage inventions and has provided testimony to the Canadian House of Commons Standing Committee on Industry, Science, and Technology on promoting best practices for intellectual property and technology transfer.

Before joining AUTM, Dr. Susalka served as Associate Director for Commercialization at Wake Forest Innovations.

Dr. Susalka earned his Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of Virginia and is a registered U.S. Patent Agent.  He is a past Board member of multiple Wake Forest-affiliated start-ups and is both a Certified Licensing Professional and Registered Technology Transfer Professional.

The U.S. IP Trade Surplus

By Chris Borges As debates over trade balances intensify, policymakers should remember where the United States already excels: the creation, sale, and licensing of intellectual property (IP). IP rights such as patents, copyrights, and trademarks convert ideas into protected and transferable economic assets, promoting innovation and economic growth.
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The New SEP Powerhouse: How China is Shaping Global Patent Disputes

By Kirti Gupta and Mark Cohen As 5G cellular standards continue to connect billions of smartphones, automobiles, and Internet of Things (IoT) devices, the licensing of standard essential patents (SEPs) on Fair, Reasonable and Non-discriminatory (FRAND) licensing terms has emerged as a key interest of businesses and policymakers worldwide. SEPs represent tens of billions of
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Using AI to Analyze the Sentiment of Public Comments on AI and Copyright

This article was originally published on IPWatchDog on May 1st, 2025 By Kirti Gupta and Elias Ilin AI is increasingly becoming integral to the inventive and creative process across a wide range of industries. As Generative AI (“GenAI”) tools transform our workflows, questions at the intersection of AI and
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