Duke Office for Translation & Commercialization (OTC)

Supports Duke University commercialization office in translating biomedical research into startup-ready solutions.

Duke Office for Translation & Commercialization (OTC) is Duke University's research commercialization office inside the Office for Research & Innovation. It manages IP protection, licensing, and new venture support under the Bayh-Dole framework, with a clear focus on Duke-owned intellectual property.

Its internal funding center is the Gilhuly Accelerator Fund, which offers $10,000 to $100,000 in rolling, year-long translational awards for proof-of-concept and de-risking work. Projects must be routed through the assigned OTC licensing manager, and the money is reserved for Duke faculty, staff, and students working with Duke-owned IP. OTC also sits behind the Four Points Innovation partnership with Deerfield Management, a separate translational drug research vehicle with up to $130 million committed.

FY24 was active: OTC logged 302 new invention disclosures, issued 94 U.S. patents, launched six startups, and generated $82.6 million in licensing revenue. This is a closed internal commercialization office, not a general external grantmaker, and it is most relevant when a Duke invention needs proof-of-concept capital or a route to market.