The King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) has appointed Izaro Lopez Garcia as interim director of technology transfer and innovation ops.
Garcia has worked for KAUST since January 2023, when he joined as head of technology development after nine years with the University of Bath. There, he was a first a business development manager from February 2014 and then, from March 2016, the industrial partnerships manager.
From October 2015 to January 2017, he additionally served as the chief executive officer of smart materials developer Diversus Technology, a spinout from the University of Bath.
KAUST’s commercialisation arm, National Transformation Institute, has been run by vice president Ian Campbell since January 2022.
Last month, the university also brought in expertise from Australia, recruiting Cherie van Wensveen – previously an investment manager with Uniseed – as a principal of commercialisation.
