Dr. Richard Matner earned a doctorate in Molecular Biology and Biophysics from the University of Rochester, Rochester, New York and a Masters of Business Administration in International Marketing from the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul Minnesota.
Dr. Matner created, organized and managed an efficient Office of Technology Transfer at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center and served as Technology Transfer and Commercial Development Director for eight years. He was responsible for all intellectual property identification, new company commercialization, commercial licensing, collaborative research and partnering activities for intellectual property originating out of Roswell Park. He spun out nine startup companies in the process and reached departmental profitability within four years. Included were programs for research professionals and clinicians trained in intellectual property protection and the complex commercialization processes. Internationally, he successfully negotiated and executed licensing contracts for the transfer of Roswell Park medical technologies into Chinese pharmaceutical companies and was an invited speaker by the governor of Xi’an Province, China, on the process of commercialization of Western medical medications into Central and Western China.
Dr. Matner gained his business commercialization skills in the 3M Corporation’s well recognized innovation and entrepreneurial environment. He held a broad variety of staff-line and management responsibilities within the Health Care Division of the 3M Corporation. From bench scientist to market research analyst, product development specialist, manufacturing, marketing and business development commercialization manager, he identified and stewarded numerous technologies from basic patents into commercial reality. Within 3M he developed valuable private industry management experience and as a senior business manager, learned clearly what it takes to identify, resource, develop and commercialize inventions that realize real revenue. He was responsible for the identification and commercialization of new products utilized by the medical device, biotechnology and food testing industries generating over $190 million in annual revenues. In the process he led numerous product develop teams from product concept through commercialization obtaining a Six Sigma qualification.
