Michael Schade Named Interim Director of the OU Office of Innovation and Corporate Partnerships

Michael A. Schade has been named the interim chief innovation and corporate officer for the University of Oklahoma and the interim executive director of the OU Office of Innovation and Corporate Partnerships (OICP), effective immediately.

Schade will dually report to Tomás Díaz de la Rubia, vice president for research and partnerships for the OU Norman campus, and Darrin Akins, vice president for research for the OU Health Sciences campus. In his dual interim roles, he will serve as the university’s senior intellectual property officer, manage all innovation, and oversee the Office of Technology Commercialization and the Office of Corporate Partnerships throughout the OU ecosystem.

“I am very excited to rise to the challenge in these interim roles to facilitate the translation of OU intellectual property and technologies generated by university faculty and trainees into commercial enterprises via strategic partnerships and the formation of startup entities,” Schade said. “Through these concerted commercialization efforts, OICP stands poised and ready to foster immediate, impactful and sustainable economic development and growth within the state of Oklahoma and the nation.”

He will work closely with faculty, staff, students and the external community to facilitate strategic private-sector partnerships, patenting and licensing of OU’s intellectual property, and the process of creating new startup companies based on university intellectual property in support of the Lead On, University Strategic Plan.

For over a decade, Schade has served in a strategic capacity in OU’s Office of Legal Counsel, OU’s Office of Technology Commercialization (formerly called the Office of Technology Development), and, most recently, within the newly created Office of Innovation and Corporate Partnerships. In addition, he has successfully led numerous contract negotiations with Fortune 100 companies, consulted and led multiple corporate engagements, and partnered with business leaders to identify and optimize intellectual property portfolio management strategies that improve growth and foster economic development. He has authored multiple scientific papers, served on industry boards, and is an adjunct faculty for the university’s Price College of Business and the OU Law School.

“OU Health Sciences is working to drive economic growth by translating fundamental and clinical research discoveries into commercial enterprises that can change lives and improve the health of Oklahomans and people throughout the nation. We look forward to working with Michael as we continue to expand the commercialization of novel drugs, medical devices, and future therapeutics discovered by OU Health Sciences researchers,” Akins said. 

“Michael’s expertise will ensure the continuity and progress of the university’s strategic plan by supporting the technology commercialization and go-to-market strategies that more quickly bring OU research and innovation to benefit society,” said Díaz de la Rubia.

Learn more about the Office of Innovation and Corporate Partnerships at ou.edu/oicp.

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About the University of Oklahoma
Founded in 1890, the University of Oklahoma is a public research university in Norman, Oklahoma. As the state’s flagship university, OU serves the educational, cultural, economic and health care needs of the state, region and nation. OU was named the state’s highest-ranking university in U.S. News & World Report’s most recent Best Colleges list. For more information about the university, visit www.ou.edu.