4 Intramural Researchers Audience

OMB No.: 0925-0046

Expiration Date: 11/30/2022

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Business Audience Personas and Journey Maps Project

Moderator’s Guide: Intramural Researchers

Session Information

Date
Time
Moderator
Audience Group
Additional info

Setup

[This guide will be used for remote in-depth interviews with intramural scientists conducting research on cancer.]

Introduction

Estimated length: 5 minutes

Thank you for participating in this study today. My name is _____, and I am a researcher with the Fors Marsh Group. We are a private research company conducting interviews on behalf of the National Cancer Institute (NCI). NCI Technology Transfer Center is learning more about their audiences to find out how they can best provide support and resources. Today, I’ll ask you questions about your professional experiences with cancer research. The entire session will last about 60 minutes.

Here are some things to know before we get started.

• If you do not want to answer any of my questions, you do not have to. Please just say so, and we will move on. And of course, you can stop the interview at any time.

• Some people from my team may be listening in remotely to take notes and record your comments. Your honest and candid feedback will be very valuable, so even though people are listening in, please speak openly about your opinions and experience. There are no wrong responses to the questions I’ll be asking.

• We will be recording audio from the interview. Only Fors Marsh Group staff who are associated with this project will hear the recording, and we will not include your name or personal information in the recording or the report. The recordings are a memory aid for me, so I can go back later to recall what happened during each interview. Is it OK with you if we record the interview?

Do you have any questions before we begin?

Section A: Professional Background

Estimated length: 10 minutes

Goal: Understand the participant’s professional background.

1. Can you give me a brief description of your educational and professional background?

   1. Can you tell me about your area of expertise?

   2. How do you go about continuing to grow as a professional?

      1. [If necessary, provide examples.] For example, do you attend professional meetings, conferences, or trainings? Do you subscribe to professional magazines or publications?

      2. What are the professional affiliations that are most common in your field?

2. Can you tell me about your research lab? [If necessary] What area are you studying?

   1. Have any of your discoveries or inventions been commercialized or are you expecting or thinking that they will be commercialized?

3. What are the day-to-day responsibilities of your current position?

   1. What responsibilities of your job do you find the most challenging?

Section B: Technology Development and Commercialization

Time estimate: 15 minutes

Goal: Understand the needs, goals, and behaviors of intramural investigators interested in patenting a discovery or searching for resources to develop technology.

1. [If necessary] Can you tell me more about the technology that you are developing?

   1. [If needed] Can you walk me through the steps you took to discover your invention?

   2. [If needed] At what stage in the development process is your invention currently in?

2. How did you become aware of NCI’s Technology Transfer Center (TTC)?

3. For what reasons did you begin working with TTC in the commercialization of the technology?

4. Can you tell me about the NCI/National Institutes of Health (NIH) processes for reporting your discovery or invention and/or exploring the potential for commercialization?

   1. What are your attitudes about the commercialization of a new discovery or invention?

   2. Who initiates the conversation around commercializing your invention or discovery?

   3. What are your expectations for NCI regarding commercializing your technology?

   4. Has your invention been commercialized?

      1. [If yes] Can you walk me through your steps in the process of commercializing your invention?

      2. [If No] Can you walk me through the steps you are taking or need to take in the process of having your invention commercialized?

[Moderator note: Frame each of the following questions based on whether or not the participant has commercialized their invention.]

3. What has been your experience to date with the process of working with TTC?

   1. What interactions have you had with TTC?

   2. What, if any, TTC resources have you used?

1. Have you encountered any challenges in the process of getting your invention commercialized?

   1. How did you address the challenge?

   2. Did you get in contact with anyone when you had questions? [If yes] Whom did you contact?

2. What, if anything, did you learn during the process of your technology being commercialized that you wish you knew at the beginning of the process?

3. What advice would you give to someone who is beginning the process of having their invention commercialized?

4. Did you need to complete any additional tasks in the process of having your invention commercialized? [If yes] What were they?

Section C: Collaboration and Networking

Estimated length: 10 minutes

Goal: Discuss collaboration and networking activities used to support product research and development.

[Moderator] Now, I’d like to switch gears and talk about collaboration and networking activities relevant to the development and commercialization of your new technology.

1. What are the types of roles of the people you directly collaborate with to support the development and commercialization process?

2. How do you identify potential collaborators?

3. Tell me about any challenges you have encountered when collaborating with others.

4. What tools and resources do you use to collaborate with others?

5. What kinds of networking activities do you participate in to stay up to date in your field?

   1. Are there any conferences in your field that you attend? [If yes] Which ones?

6. How do you learn about these networking opportunities?

Section D: Interactions with TTC websites

Estimated length: 15 minutes

Goal: Discuss the role of techtransfer.cancer.gov in the development and commercialization of cancer technology.

1. Next, I’d like you to visit the NCI’s Technology Transfer Center (TTC) website. Please go to techtransfer.cancer.gov. Have you visited this website before?

   1. [If Yes] How often do you visit this website?

   2. For what reasons do you visit these web pages? [Moderator note: If participant has not visited, phrase as, “For what reasons would you visit these web pages?”]

   3. What, if any, resources or information have you looked for when you visited these web pages? [Moderator note: If participant has not visited, phrase as, “What, if any, resources or information would you look for if you were to visit these web pages?”]

   4. [If Yes] What has your experience been like when looking for information on these web pages?

      1. [If necessary] Were you successful in finding what you were looking for?

2. What content do you find valuable on these web pages?

3. What information is missing, if any, that you would like to see on these web pages?

4. Who, if anyone, do you reach out to when you have questions that are not addressed on these web pages? [If necessary, probe about NCI program directors, colleagues, etc.]

5. What other resources do you use in addition to or instead of these websites to support developing and licensing your technology that we have not discussed?

   1. [Probe if necessary] What other NCI resources do you use in addition to these web pages?

      1. What other NIH resources do you use?

Section E: Debrief

Estimated length: 5 minutes

Goal: Closing comments, feedback, and debrief from interview.

1. Before we end our session, do you have any other thoughts about how NCI could make the technology transfer process better for you and others?

Those are all the questions that I have for you today. We appreciate you taking the time to talk to me about this topic. Your insights and feedback have been very helpful.

Business Audience Personas and Journey Maps: Intramural Researchers  6