Get to know Twyla Quéva
Meet Twyla, Legal Advisor at VUB TechTransfer. For nearly seven years, she has been playing a crucial role in our team in providing legal support to drive innovation. Curious about her impact? Read on to learn more!
What is your role at VUB TechTransfer?
I am a Legal Advisor at VUB TechTransfer.
What are your main responsibilities in this role?
In general, legal tech transfer handles negotiation and drafting/reviewing contracts in cases where there is a deviation from existing templates (e.g., SBO, Research Call Innoviris) or when specific arrangements (IP, liabilities) are needed in contracts with companies or other third parties.
It includes reviewing and drafting (bilateral) contracts with external parties for transferring or using knowledge or research materials from applied research, aimed at valorization—enabling third parties to use it for their own research, marketing, or spin-offs. Covered contract types include NDAs, MTAs, consultancy, service, research collaboration agreements, data use agreements, software agreements, etc., related to applied research with companies or other third parties (VZW, universities, etc.), and spin-off contracts (licenses, IP transfers, consultancy to spin-offs, shareholders' agreements).
My focus is on EU-funded projects with big consortia, which I follow up alongside the colleagues of the ERIS team. Occasionally, I handle Brussels-funded projects which often use French as the contract language. I'm also involved in higher-level collaborations with ULB, such as FARI. Additionally, I provide legal advice and support for researchers and business developers on various aspects, including the review and drafting of these contracts, legislative and regulatory requirements, etc.
How long have you been with VUB TechTransfer?
Since 16/04/2018, so almost 7 years.
How have you seen TechTransfer evolve in recent years and how do you look back on it?
I started at TechTransfer when it had just hit a growth spurt, and it has not stopped growing since—not only in the number of people and funding received, but also in terms of maturity and cohesion as a team. More specifically, on our small scale as a legal team, we truly are a tight-knit team, with complementary personalities and work ethics. We genuinely allow each other to grow, both as as a team and in our individual careers.
What is the project you are most proud of at VUB TechTransfer?
One of the projects I’m most proud of is the conclusion of a framework agreement between VUB, ULB and Telenet and our AI Lab. Another major achievement was the conclusion of a collaboration agreement with a start-up company under an Innoviris grant—right at the very last minute of the deadline, also in the midst of a big TTO Flanders event that VUB was hosting.
What is an ideal day off for you?
As a mother of a one-year-old, an ideal day off is a day spent sleeping! But seriously, even before parenthood, my perfect day was a lazy one—sleeping in, waking up without stress, and enjoying the day without any pressure. A day where everything falls into place effortlessly, with no schedule to follow—just free as a bird.
Last but not least, we have to know, what is your favourite invention of all time?
I had to think really hard about this. At first, I was thinking of very practical, useful things such as the washing machine, but that struck me as too obvious! Eventually, I realized that vision correction—glasses, contact lenses, laser eye surgery—is my favourite invention. I know it’s a broad category, but as someone who does not see anything from the moment she wakes up until she puts on her big glasses, I've always felt that poor eyesight is underrated as a handicap in life. So, I personally thank the science that made it possible to correct peoples’ eyes and vision.
