Selection
After receiving your application, the Office of Innovation and Strategic Partnerships (OISP) team will review your background and set up an interview. Whilst you don’t have to be an experienced EiR to apply, we do value experience, and in particular commercial experience in a field. This commercial experience is often what drives the value of the partnership between you and our researcher.
Once selected, a confidentiality agreement will be required. If you accept the role and responsibility as lead on a project, we will provide you with the appropriate agreements to do so. There’s no obligation to lead a project, as you are already considered a valued team member in helping to advise and promote our technologies.
Exposure
Your advice and market knowledge will be put into service when technologies selected for this pathway come through our pipeline. We try to make this as efficient as possible, only exposing you to the areas you are best suited to, as well as forming groups to showcase our technologies and obtain feedback. Occasionally, you might be asked to give specific feedback on a technology given your experience.
This experience holds value for us all, as it is a “getting to know you” period. This will give you a deeper understanding of how our office operates and we will jointly discover where there might be some pathways for market access. Whilst this part of the program is not paid, our hope is that the exposure you have to our pipeline, the UT San Antonio network and the EiR network is uniquely invaluable.
Initiation
As the initiation phase begins, a specific technology may attract your attention, urging you to take a step further. You will have the opportunity to meet with the inventor to discuss the possibilities and potentialities more directly. If this arrangement is determined to be a good fit, you will be asked to commit to our EIR agreement, appointing you as a part time consultant of the University. Whilst a 6-month term initially, it may be extended. The expectation is that you will work closely with the researcher and an OISP Business Development manager, on average, about 32 hours a week. The outcome will be a slide deck that captures a thoroughly developed business plan that addresses typical concerns such as commercialization gaps and validation to achieve market success.
We understand that things may not always go to plan and during this time either party can terminate the consultancy with notice, however rarely invoked, but important to acknowledge if it’s just not working.
We will incorporate a company with a ready-made license included along with other appropriate agreements (such as your future equity – see below) that are all conditional on financing/ raising capital.
It is during this phase that EiR’s are paid a fee for this work along with a generous success fee in the way of equity. This is the subject of our EiR agreement.
Realization
Upon successful finding, the realization of the success of the program is due to the hard work and determination in the combined efforts of the Entrepreneur-in-Resident, the researcher and OISP staff.
When all conditions are met and the company becomes operational, typically, the University is a minority shareholder at this point but may have some anti dilute protection to ensure it maintains a fair minority interest. Our inventors may have direct equity, as well as being entitled to some of the benefit of the University’s equity and license revenue through our inventor reward policy.
Lead
With an operational company under way, it is typical for the EiR to become fully immersed in the role of executing the company’s business plans. While this role is not a requirement, it is most often the case, since the EiR is the one who developed the plans, attracted the funds and has a robust relationship with the University.
Our intention is to retain you as a partner, provide access to our resources and to work alongside one another as we have a vested interest to maximize our equity and to maintain our relationship with you and the company.
Entrepreneur-in-Resident Program 
“Our EiR program is about building the world’s best teams to develop new products from our research and into the hands of people. It represents a unique way for all of us to work together. With a sole focus and our combined value, it is primed for success.”
