LICENSE: Center for Tech Commercialization

Transforming scientific progress into tangible products

THE PATH TO IMPACT

LICENSE: Center for Tech Commercialization moves beyond traditional tech transfer by offering value-added assessment services and insight with business-friendly negotiation and licensing.

Working closely with faculty, researchers, and industry partners, we

Manage IP from invention through patenting and licensing
Build trusted relationships with internal and external stakeholders
Apply best practices in tech transfer, offering fair and flexible licensing terms
Provide expertise to maximize opportunities for impact and return on investment

Dedicated to service and education, we operate in collaboration with the Office of Sponsored Programs and Conflicts of Interest and Commitment. We encourage IP disclosure from Virginia Tech faculty, staff, and graduate students and establish IP protection strategies in partnership with Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties.

Whether you're an inventor looking to protect your work or a company seeking cutting-edge innovations, we're here to support you.

Contact our team

Our proactive, value-added approach

We anticipate market needs and create opportunities where science, industry, and entrepreneurs can thrive.

Our team

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Katherine Nicewander
Intellectual Property Specialist, LICENSE // Katherine Nicewander guides Virginia Tech faculty through the process from invention disclosure to patent prosecution, as well as helping them manage their patent portfolios. She also works closely with LICENSE to support academic startup, commercialization, and licensing endeavors. Katherine is always willing to jump in to get the job done. Her varied experience provides Katherine with the knowledge and skills to assist across the division as necessary. She studied psychology at Campbell University.//knicewan@vt.edu
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Grant Brewer
Executive Director, LICENSE//Grant Brewer has two decades of experience in the commercialization of highly technical business opportunities. As executive director of LICENSE, he provides exceptional communication and practical abilities gained through professional success in academic startup endeavors and mature industry operations. He also serves as president of Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties. Grant provides an irreplaceable perspective gained through learning on the job. These experiences range from bench-top research assessment to directing FDA-approved pharmaceutical manufacturing. He takes great pride in knowing that his team plays a critical role in the translation of research from laboratory to accessible technologies in society. Outside the office, Grant enjoys woodworking and fly fishing. He holds an MBA from The Citadel and a B.S. in biological engineering from the University of Georgia.//grantb76@vt.edu
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Rozzy Finn
Licensing Officer, LICENSE//As a licensing officer, Rozzy Finn leverages over 10 years of experience with academic research to help commercialize the cutting-edge research that comes out of Virginia Tech. Rozzy believes that science is awesome, and it is ultimately the best way to change the world for the better. She loves to see the groundbreaking discoveries made at Virginia Tech get out of the labs and make a real impact rather than collecting citations and dust in academic journals. She has a Ph.D. from the University of Rochester and a B.A. from Simon’s Rock College of Bard.//rozzy@vt.edu
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Neha Samant
Licensing Officer, LICENSE //Neha Samant serves as a licensing officer at LICENSE, bringing more than 10 years of experience in academic research, licensing, and business development. She is passionate about learning new technologies and working with collaborators to turn ideas into real-world impact. She finds it a privilege to help bring life-changing, high-impact innovations closer to market. She holds a doctorate in biomedical sciences from UMass Chan Medical School, a master’s degree in biotechnology from the University of Texas at San Antonio, and a bachelor’s degree in biotechnology from the Kolhapur Institute of Technology in India.//nehasamant@vt.edu//(540) 231-3772
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Teresa McCoy
Project Coordinator, LICENSE + LAUNCH//As a project coordinator for Innovation and Partnerships, Teresa McCoy supports the LICENSE and LAUNCH teams by working with faculty and graduate students to shape ideas and discoveries, and to identify key resources for startup opportunities. Prior to joining the team, Teresa served as program coordinator for the Apex Center for Entrepreneurs. Teresa has served the university in several roles, including assistant director for event services, student engagement, and campus life. She earned an A.S. in marketing from New River Community College.//teresas@vt.edu
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Elizabeth Garami
Associate Director, LICENSE//Elizabeth Garami helps Virginia Tech inventors navigate protection and licensing of intellectual property derived from cutting-edge technologies. She is a registered technology transfer professional with more than two decades of life science experience in small and large technology transfer offices in the U.S. and Canada. Her passion is working with inventors and industry to translate research from the laboratory to the marketplace and facilitate access of technologies in society. When not at work, Elizabeth enjoys hiking, running, baseball, and nature photography. She earned an M.S. in marketing from Florida International University, an MBA from York University Schulich School of Business, and an M.S. in molecular biology and medical genetics from the University of Toronto.//egarami@vt.edu
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Emily Lanier
Licensing Officer, LICENSE//Emily Lanier empowers researchers to translate their groundbreaking discoveries into technologies with real-world impact. Leveraging over a decade of experience spanning academic research, AgTech startups, technology transfer, and innovation consulting, she helps academic inventors navigate the complexities of intellectual property. Emily loves spending her days learning about the exciting research at Virginia Tech, and she is committed to maximizing the societal benefit of this research by bridging the gap to commercialization. Emily holds a Ph.D. in plant biochemistry from Michigan State University and a B.S. in chemistry from the University of North Carolina at Asheville.//emily.lanier@vt.edu