Anthony Francis, a renowned leader in translating research into market opportunities, has been appointed as the associate vice president for innovation and development in the Office of the Vice President for Research at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UT Health San Antonio). He previously served as the executive director of the Office of Technology Management and Advancement at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF), where he revamped their commercialization and partnering approach, resulting in significant increases in equity and license revenue.
In his new role, Francis will focus on fostering entrepreneurialism and innovation across various technical areas at UT Health San Antonio. He will collaborate with investigators, inventors, and researchers to translate their innovations into commercial opportunities that will have a positive impact on people’s lives and benefit the global community. Jennifer Potter, the vice president for research at UT Health San Antonio, highlighted Francis’s past work in promoting investment in startups and enhancing the value of creation and research. She emphasized that his reputation in this field will give UT Health San Antonio a competitive advantage in research and grant opportunities.
Francis is originally from Australia and has extensive experience working with industry, universities, and consulting to mobilize resources towards a common goal. He founded a successful consulting company that was later acquired by Deloitte and received national recognition for his work in commercialization training. He also received awards for his contributions to entrepreneurial education and authored the ImPact commercialization system.
At UT Health San Antonio, Francis aims to leverage his expertise to drive innovation across various fields such as medicine, biotechnology, engineering, computer science, and data analytics. He plans to collaborate with faculty members to identify promising areas for commercialization while also ensuring that ethical considerations are taken into account throughout the process.
Potter expressed her excitement about Francis joining UT Health San Antonio’s team. “Anthony brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to our institution,” she said. “His track record of success speaks volumes about his ability to lead our efforts in fostering entrepreneurship and innovation.”
Overall, Francis’s appointment is expected to have a significant impact on UT Health San Antonio’s research program by increasing its competitiveness in grant opportunities while also creating new avenues for collaboration between academia
