ITUNOVA’s contribution to patent and commercialization processes is bearing fruit. We had a short conversation about the commercialization success of our faculty member Prof. Dr. Oğuzhan Külekçi’s triadic patent.
Could you please introduce yourself?
I am a faculty member at the Computer Sciences Department of the Informatics Institute. My main field of study is theory of computation and engineering of algorithms, and I focus on the design and implementation of algorithms that give fast results and consume less resources.
Can you tell about the R&D studies you have carried out?
In addition to external research projects that I conduct on string matching, coding theory, data compression, text algorithms and their applications, there are industrial projects that I participate in as a consultant within the framework of university-industry collaboration. In these projects, I work on the design and implementation of novel algorithms for data management and processing problems in the fields of indexing, searching, and compression.
Can you tell about the details of the innovation you commercialized with ITUNOVA TTO?
The relevant invention defines a new kind of data representation method. The data subjected to the described coding is separated into two parts, and decoding one in the absence of the other requires very high computing power. For this reason, all of the data can be secured by only encrypting one of the two parts resulting from the coding defined by the invention. With this approach, data can be secured by performing 75% to 90% less encryption. Besides, efficient search on the encrypted data is an important feature supported by the coding that is subject to the invention. By virtue of both securing data by consuming less resources and supporting search operations on such data, it presents advantages especially in terms of secure storage of big data and processing of secured data. Applications in fields such as fast encryption of high volume multimedia data such as video/audio, storage of data in the cloud environment in a secure and searchable manner, and efficient use of hardware security modules are the first industrial uses that come to mind. Secure data processing in environments with limited memory and low processing power can also be considered within this scope.
Can you talk about your commercialization process?
After the patent is registered, the communication of possible applications to the industry requires a different approach than academic demonstration. Discussing possible industrial projects with companies in the ecosystem is very important in terms of revealing the points where a patent will meet a need. Although the necessity of new channels for this type of exchange of ideas was felt, the intertwining of the ITU ecosystem with the industry played an active role in our licensing process. The patent licensing support provided by TÜBİTAK after the emergence of possible collaborations also contributed as an extremely effective catalyst.
How did ITUNOVA contribute during this process?
All stages, from the application to the registration of the patent, from the registration to the licensing process, were carried out under the superintendence of ITUNOVA. Long international transactions, which are quite sensitive and complex, have been accomplished with the teamwork of experienced, devoted and trustworthy personnel of ITUNOVA, and I believe that it is not possible to complete this type of work from beginning to end without the support of this team. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all my friends again and give my respects.