INDEPENDENT EXPERTISE · COPENHAGEN, DENMARK
Turning research into partnerships.
Technology transfer, licensing and partnership expertise for defense, government, universities and the agriculture and biotech sectors — 21 years in the field, now based in Copenhagen.
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WHERE I WORK
Two decades of moving technology out of the lab and into the market — across four sectors.
Defense
Twenty years inside the U.S. Department of Defense research enterprise. I’ve designed training and professional development for Navy, Army and Air Force technology transfer offices, and worked directly with senior leadership at the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research & Engineering..
Government & public research
Projects with the Department of Energy and NASA, current training and professional development work for the Federal Laboratory Consortium, and collaborations with UK government science agencies, including the Animal & Plant Health Agency and the Defence Science & Technology Laboratory.
Universities
Technology transfer roles at research-intensive universities in the United States and Saudi Arabia, from invention disclosure to licensing and industry partnerships.
Agriculture & biotechnology
This is where I started: an agricultural tech startup in the dot-com years, followed by plant variety licensing programs focused on Bulgaria, Poland, Ukraine and Kazakhstan. On the biotech side, I’ve negotiated vaccine patent licenses with major global pharmaceutical companies and managed innovations drawn from Saudi Arabia's Red Sea and Arabian desert.
01 / SERVICES
Practical support. Lasting capability.
01
Training & professional development
Practical programs for technology transfer professionals, from first-year staff to senior leaders. I’ve built and delivered training for defense, federal lab and university audiences, including courses on licensing risk and foreign entities of concern.
02
Licensing & partnership advisory
Help finding the right partners, structuring license agreements and R&D collaborations, and managing the relationships that follow — domestically and across borders. Experience spans defense, medical, biotech, and agricultural technology domains.
03
Event facilitation & emcee
Conferences, summits, workshops and fundraising events led by someone who knows the subject and can hold a room. From national defense summits to stadiums of 20,000+, I keep programs on time, on message and engaging.
02 / EXPERIENCE HIGHLIGHTS
$600M
economic impact from technology partnerships facilitated
2,278
job-years supported
7,000+
inventions evaluated for market potential
295+
technology transfer professionals trained across 100+ DoD lab locations
20,000+
stadium audience as the “Voice of Bobcat Stadium”
21 years in technology transfer
Certified Licensing Professional™
Professional Event Master of Ceremonies
03 / ABOUT
Darin Oelkers, CLP, MPA
I help transform research into partnerships.
I’ve spent 21 years in technology transfer, most of it inside the U.S. Department of Defense research enterprise, building training programs for Navy, Army and Air Force technology transfer offices and helping labs connect their inventions with industry. Along the way I’ve negotiated patent licenses with major pharmaceutical companies, run plant variety licensing programs from Bulgaria to Kazakhstan, and worked with universities in the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, the Department of Energy, NASA, and UK government science agencies.
Today I support training and professional development for the Federal Laboratory Consortium and the Defense Health Agency’s Medical Technology Transfer Program, and I’m a Certified Licensing Professional.
I’m also a professional emcee and event consultant. I was the "Voice of Bobcat Stadium", announcing for 20,000+ Montana State football fans, and I’ve worked events for USA Track & Field and the NCAA. I’ve served in nonprofit leadership roles, supported organizations’ signature fundraising events, and facilitated collaborations among a national gathering of leaders addressing critical resources for U.S. national defense. If your event needs someone who knows the subject and can hold a room, that’s me.
I grew up a fourth-generation Montanan on a Montana wheat farm and cattle ranch, was among the last Americans to visit the Soviet Union, and now call Copenhagen home.
04 / CONTACT
Let’s start a conversation.
Have a partnership challenge, a team to train or an event in mind? Tell me a little about what you’re working on.
info@sandkaj.com