The agenda for the this year’s IP Awareness Summit was published today. It includes an announcement by Center for IP Understanding (CIPU) that the keynote is Marshall Smith, CEO of Startlab Space Stations, a former NASA Director and advocate for employing microgravity for leading edge scientific and medical research.
Starlab is a U.S.-led joint global venture that is building low-orbit space stations for advanced research applications. Its network of partners and investors include Airbus, Northrop Grumman, Voyager, Palantir, Ohio State University, Mitsubishi and Hilton.
The team Smith leads at Starlab, based near Ohio State University, is designing and building facilities that enable medical and other research to take place under weightless conditions. Cancer and other drugs have already used the properties of microgravity for successful formulation. The International Space Station will cease to operate by 2030. Research conducted in low earth orbit on the ISS was instrumental in developing an improved, injectable formulation of Merck’s breakthrough cancer drug, Keytruda (pembrolizumab).
Microgravity research offers significant benefits across various fields, primarily by removing the dominant effects of gravity on physical and biological processes, which allows for a deeper understanding of fundamental mechanisms and the development of innovations not possible on Earth.
AI algorithms on the space station will analyze sensor and equipment data to predict when maintenance is needed, extending the lifespan of critical components and improving station efficiency and reliability, as well as providing predictive analytics.
Smith is responsible for guiding Starlab’s vision, strategy, operations and sustainable success.
Other Speakers
Other leading experts who have confirmed their participation in IPAS 2026 include: Danny Marti, Head of Global Strategy for Tencent, one of the largest GenAI patent holders and former White House IP Czar; Dan Brown, successful entrepreneur, inventor (100+ patents) and Kellogg School of Management faculty;
“The lab itself is covered by various patents, trademarks and trade secrets, and many of the inventions developed to launch and enable it will be filed as IP rights on earth. It is becoming clearer how and to whom those rights will be awarded.”
Arlyne Simon, Intel Technologies inventor of blood test to screen for bone marrow rejection in cancer patients and author of the “Abby Invents” series; Ruth Vitale, CEO, CreativeFuture, former Hollywood Studio head; and Allison Gaul, BCG X, AI expert and product developer. More speakers to be announced.
Panel topics include:
- “AI + IP = ROI: What businesses, creators, and society value most“
- “Copyrights and AI: Learning to work together”
- “AI adoption at the crossroads: Transparency, trust and (some) regulation”
- “Patents, copyrights and trade secrets – Too strong or too weak for today’s innovation?”
- “Fighting negative IP stereotypes: From classroom to Congress”
“CIPU and COSI are excited to have Marshall Smith open this year’s Summit,” said Bruce Berman, Chairman of CIPU. “The technical issues faced by Starlab are substantial and so are research outputs related to patents and other IP rights.
“The lab itself is covered by various patents, trademarks and trade secrets, and many of the inventions developed to launch and enable it will be filed as IP rights on earth. It is becoming clearer how and to whom those rights will be awarded.”
Networking Opportunities
Registration is now open for IPAS 2026. A 20% early bird discount is available for a limited time. Go here to view the agenda: IPAwarenessSummit.com. Tap here to register.
This year’s summit features multiple networking opportunities, breakout sessions for both attendees and speakers, as well as a wine, beer and bites reception in COSI’s Atrium following the final panel.
Facilitator-let breakout topics for both attendees and speakers include:
- “Do businesses need to establish AI use guidelines?”
- “How does domestic and foreign IP awareness impact U.S. innovation?”
The primary goal of Starlab Space is insuring a continued human presence in low earth orbit and a seamless transition of microgravity research before the International Space Station is decommissioned. The race for enterprise space solutions is already under way.
Image source: starlab-space.com; ipawarenesssummit.com
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