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660 S. Euclid Avenue Campus Box 8013 St. Louis, MO 63110 (314) 747-0920 (314) 362-5872 (fax) Street Address: 724 S. Euclid Avenue Suite 2259 St. Louis, MO 63110 |
Thoughts on Technology Transfer
The Office of Technology Management at Washington University in St. Louis helps federally funded technologies reach the public. According to the most recent data, the University has over 150 NIH-funded inventions, with approximately half of these being licensed to private companies through exclusive or non-exclusive agreements. These license agreements have benefited society, the University at large, specific departments and individual faculty members.
The inventors at Washington University play a crucial role in helping the University comply with the Bayh-Dole Act. We urge you to disclose federally funded inventions to the Office of Technology Management as well as to the funding agency (e.g., NIH, ACS, NSF, FDA). We will do our part to actively market these technologies and report our activities to the funding agencies. Marketing activities lead to the licensing of technologies for the public welfare. Active reporting helps ensure further funding for Washington University and its associated faculty and staff. If you have any questions about government reporting, please call us at (314) 747-0920.
The University encourages you to publicly disseminate the results of your research to provide the public with the benefits of your endeavors. This is usually accomplished through publication of your research results in peer-reviewed journals or through oral presentations at seminars and symposia. An alternative is to bring the fruits of your research to market with the assistance of a commercial partner. This is a potentially valuable strategy, particularly when the research results in an invention that can form the basis of a product or process that meets a market need. Typically, companies will not invest in a new technology without having proprietary rights to the underlying invention. Therefore, to facilitate this strategy, it is usual to seek protection of the intellectual property (IP) through filing of a patent before disclosing the research results. You can do this quickly and still meet publication deadlines.
Whether the research has been funded by a federal or state government, by a foundation, or by a for-profit industrial corporation, the University has a right of ownership in all inventions that have been developed using significant University resources. For federally funded research, this right has been granted to the University through the Bayh-Dole Act, under which the University can elect title to all inventions arising from government grants. This right is predicated on the requirement that the University seek IP protection (where feasible) and diligently pursue industrial partners so that the public reaps the benefit of the research. When an industrial partner has sponsored the research, it invariably allows the University to own the fruits of the research and, in return, to grant the sponsor an option to obtain a license to any inventions. For the University to formalize its rights, you will be asked in certain circumstances to sign a document transferring ownership of your invention to the University.