Since 2007, Tony has led the UIDP (uidp.org), a project oriented, membership organization comprised of leading innovation firms and outstanding research universities from around the world. Tony derives tremendous satisfaction in leading the UIDP as it pursues its goal of improving partnerships between the academic and corporate sectors and helping its members achieve meaningful impact on a broad array of university-industry collaboration matters ranging from contracting, commercialization, and workforce development. Members use UIDP learnings to improve and advance their external engagement strategy. Tony believes that academic-corporate engagement improves the lives of ordinary people and the human condition through the development of transformational products, new medicines and creation of new information and approaches that lead to better decision-making.

Tony possesses a PhD in Inorganic Chemistry and more than 30 years of research and commercialization experience managing a variety of administrative, programmatic, and strategy initiatives for academic, government, and private sector firms such as the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, The University of South Carolina, and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

His wife, Dr. Laura Boccanfuso, is a computer scientist and CEO of Van Robotics, an educational technology start-up company. They have three children – Carolina who is an RN at Children’s Hospital in Alabama; Michael a junior mechanical engineering student, and Ana a high school senior.