In many cases there are regulatory issues that must be considered by the company (for example, what will the regulators say about the implications of cloning a human gene into plants?), public perception issues that may be of concern (e.g. would nicotine free tobacco really be a good thing?), and strategic issues (how will this technology impact the rest of our business?).  

The most important thing to remember is that your technology or technical capability is competing with hundreds of other technologies and ongoing projects within an organization.   As a rule general rule individuals with a lot on their plate will tend to gravitate toward what appears to be more straightforward and has less "risk".  The more up-front information you can provide in an organized fashion and the more risk you are willing to share, the easier and faster their assessment will be and the higher the probability of a successful collaboration.  

Duke Leahey, past president of AUTM;
Wayne Swan, Director, Technology Liaison, University of Maryland;
Dick Leazer, Managing Director, WARF;
Brian Renk, Licensing Associate, WARF;
Keith Walker, President, Plant and Industrial Products Division, Kimeragen.