Interview scorecard template

Technology Transfer Specialist interview scorecard

Evaluate Technology Transfer Specialist candidates across 4 weighted areas: record of outcomes, strategic judgement, building and leading teams, and influence across the business. Record of outcomes leads at 35%, so check the deals they closed: licences, spin-outs, or partnerships, with terms and what the technology went on to do. Use the rubric to compare role-specific evidence consistently.

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leadership strategyip commercialisationlicensingresearchtechnology transfer
TL;DR
For record of outcomes, look for evidence the candidate names licences or spin-outs they closed, with terms and what became of the technology afterwards. For strategic judgement, look for evidence the candidate assesses commercial potential and freedom to operate realistically, and can name inventions they declined to back. Apply the written 1–5 anchors to every answer, record the evidence behind each rating, and use the factor weights to reach a consistent overall assessment.
Complete evaluation framework

What to assess and how to score it

Review the evidence signals before interviewing. Then use the anchored descriptions—not instinct alone—to choose the score that best matches each answer.

01
Evaluation factor

Record of outcomes

35% weight

Check the deals they closed: licences, spin-outs, or partnerships, with terms and what the technology went on to do.

Evidence to listen for

  • Names organisations, budgets, and headcount they were actually accountable for
  • Gives outcomes with numbers, not initiatives with adjectives
  • Separates what they drove from what the market or a predecessor did
  • Can describe something they owned that failed

Five-point scoring guide

1
Poor

Titles and initiatives only; no accountable outcomes.

2
Needs Improvement

Claims results the organisation would have had anyway; no scope clarity.

3
Satisfactory

Real accountability with some numbers; attribution occasionally generous.

4
Very Good

Clear scope and measured outcomes, including an honest failure.

5
Excellent

Names licences or spin-outs they closed, with terms and what became of the technology afterwards.

02
Evaluation factor

Strategic judgement

25% weight

Test how they judge which inventions are worth patenting and pushing, and which to let go.

Evidence to listen for

  • Explains a decision where the options were genuinely close and the information incomplete
  • Can say what they chose not to do and why
  • Distinguishes a bet from a certainty
  • Changes course on evidence rather than defending a position past its life

Five-point scoring guide

1
Poor

Frameworks and slogans; no real decision they can walk through.

2
Needs Improvement

Describes decisions made elsewhere; cannot state the trade-off.

3
Satisfactory

Sound judgement on familiar decisions; less tested on ambiguous ones.

4
Very Good

Walks a genuinely close call, states what they gave up, and changed course on evidence.

5
Excellent

Assesses commercial potential and freedom to operate realistically, and can name inventions they declined to back.

03
Evaluation factor

Building and leading teams

25% weight

Assess how they work with inventors who overestimate their technology and industry partners who undervalue it.

Evidence to listen for

  • Has hired, developed, and where necessary removed people
  • Names someone who grew under them and what they did to cause it
  • Handles an underperformer directly rather than waiting it out
  • Builds a team that functions when they are not in the room

Five-point scoring guide

1
Poor

No real people leadership; avoids difficult personnel decisions.

2
Needs Improvement

Managed a team but cannot describe developing or exiting anyone.

3
Satisfactory

Competent manager; development is informal.

4
Very Good

Demonstrable record of growing people and handling underperformance directly.

5
Excellent

Manages inventor expectations and industry scepticism together, getting both to a term sheet they can live with.

04
Evaluation factor

Influence across the business

15% weight

Judge how they translate a research result into a commercial case a company will fund.

Evidence to listen for

  • Wins support from peers and boards without positional authority
  • Translates their function into terms the rest of the business cares about
  • Delivers unwelcome news early
  • Manages up without either capitulating or stonewalling

Five-point scoring guide

1
Poor

Relies entirely on authority; conceals bad news.

2
Needs Improvement

Struggles to influence peers; communicates in function-specific jargon.

3
Satisfactory

Works adequately with peers and leadership.

4
Very Good

Persuades peers and boards on merit and delivers bad news early.

5
Excellent

Translates research into a commercial case investors and licensees act on, without overstating readiness.

Evidence-led prompts

Interview questions for a Technology Transfer Specialist

Use these prompts to surface evidence for the weighted factors above and compare candidates against the same role-specific criteria.

  1. 01

    Walk us through one technology transfer project you've worked on, from invention disclosure to the agreement that closed.

  2. 02

    What experience do you have fostering partnerships with industry for technology transfer, and how did you get those companies to the table?

  3. 03

    How do you deal with the financial aspects of technology transfer: valuation, royalty rates, milestones, and revenue sharing?

  4. 04

    How would you evaluate the commercial potential of a technology you have just seen for the first time?

  5. 05

    What market research and analysis have you carried out to support a tech transfer decision, and what did it change?

See the complete Technology Transfer Specialist question set
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