As artificial intelligence moves beyond the cloud and begins to shape decisions and actions in the physical world, the challenge is no longer merely technological progress. The real question is how these innovations can be deployed in complex environments and scale into global markets.

Opening remark by Queihua Yang and General Director of ITRI and Johannes Rott, Partner of Plug and Play, with a keynote by Jonathan Gortat, Director for Licensing and Strategic Alliances, Stanford Office of Technology Licensing on the Complexity of Structuring a High-Impact Licensing Deal in Technology Transfer.

Queihua Yang

Johannes Rott

Jonathan Gortat

Followed by a panel discussion examining the “last mile” of technology transfer: the key gaps and hurdles in moving research into real-world adoption. Panelists include Nitin Parekh, Director of HIT Fund, Stanford Office of Technology Licensing, Janis Skriveris, Principal of Plug and Play, Le-Ren Chang-Chien, Director of ITRI, Ming-Che Wang, President of ITRI International Inc., and Bo-Gaun Chen, Vice President of ITRI International, Inc. will discuss the factors that determine whether deep technologies successfully transition from scientific discovery to real-world solutions, including the roles of venture capital, ecosystem collaboration, technology transfer, and global market access.

Two key questions shaping the future of global technology innovation and commercialization:

• Rethinking the Lab-to-Market Pipeline in the AI Era

As AI breakthroughs accelerate, the traditional lab-to-market playbook is increasingly too slow. From applied research and technology transfer to startup acceleration, how can innovators better identify real market signals and shorten the path from breakthrough research to scalable companies?

• Bridging the Venture & Commercialization Gap

From Taiwan to the U.S. and other global markets, how do differences in venture investment shape the path from innovation to real-world adoption? What roles do investors, research institutions, corporates, and policymakers play, and which mechanisms are most critical, in bridging the gap from validated research to scalable companies?

Panelists will discuss the factors that determine whether deep technologies successfully transition from scientific discovery to real-world solutions, including the roles of venture capital, ecosystem collaboration, technology transfer, and global market access.

Following the panel, five Edison Awards finalists from ITRI will present cutting-edge technologies ready for commercialization. Representing some of the brightest innovators in Taiwan’s deep-tech ecosystem, these presentations will highlight breakthroughs in Smart Living, Resilience & Sustainable Environment, and Quality Health. This event explores this transition through the combined strengths of Taiwan’s engineering and rapid prototyping capabilities and the United States’ powerful innovation ecosystem and market reach.

Organized by Industrial Technology Research Institute  (ITRI), the powerhouse behind spinouts like TSMC that is laying the foundation for today’s AI revolution.