FAQ
Technology Transfer is the process of transferring scientific findings from one organization to another for the purpose of further development and commercialization.
The process links business, industry, and manufacturing with inventions, patents, and intellectual property available through national laboratories, federal research-oriented programs, and university-based research centers.
Available technology can help companies develop new and/or better products to sell at a profit. Also, available technology can help companies reduce cost and/or add value in the manufacturing process.
The Enterprise Center’s Office of Technology Development and Transfer has access to several sources of federally-funded research. Using our research support and business partnerships, we can help you with licensing a technology and moving the product to the market quickly.
A Cooperative Research and Development Agreement [CRADA] is a written agreement between a private company and a government agency to work together on a project. A CRADA allows the Federal government and non-Federal partners to optimize their resources, share technical expertise in a protected environment, and share intellectual property emerging from the effort, in order to speed the commercialization of federally-developed technology.
A license is a contract between a licensor [e.g., the holder of a patent] and a licensee [e.g., an industry partner] which transfers commercial rights for technologies developed in national laboratories or federal research-oriented programs to the private sector. The federal government’s technology transfer policy is to promote the utilization and commercialization of inventions that arise from agency-supported research and development. Licensing of government-owned patents is one tool to achieve this goal.
Terms and conditions for the license would be negotiated and developed, and a licensing agreement will be finalized and executed. A licensing fee will be payable at the time the license is executed, or an agreement could be negotiated that would involve payment of royalties on an agreed-upon basis.
Intellectual, or intangible, assets include any products of the human intellect, such as inventions, discoveries, technologies, creations, developments, or other forms of expressing an idea—whether or not the subject matter is protectable under the laws governing the different forms of intellectual property. Intellectual property is the subset of intellectual assets that can be legally protected, and includes patents, plant variety protection certificates, copyrights, trademarks, and trade secrets. The intangible right to intellectual property can be bought, sold, leased, rented, or otherwise transferred between parties.
The Enterprise Center does not charge a fee for services; however, licensing fees will be required if the technology product is licensed for manufacture. While no cost exists for Technology Transfer services, The Enterprise Center may be included in the royalties settlement resulting from a successful technology transfer.
For more information, contact The Enterprise Center's Technology Development and Transfer Office.
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For more information, contact:
Chris D. Daly