Transcript Slide 1
Material Transfer and Confidentiality Agreements
February 25, 2014 SERIES 4, SESSION 2 OF AAPLS APPLICANTS & ADMINISTRATORS PREAWARD LUNCHEON SERIES
Introducing OTL&IC – Tufts Tech Transfer
Office for Technology Licensing and Industry Collaboration – Tech Transfer (Techtransfer.tufts.edu) Tech Transfer is part of the Office of the Vice Provost for Research Guest speaker – Nina Green, Director x60360 or [email protected]
Tufts Tech Transfer
Building relationships with faculty inventors
Mission
Outreach with industry partners and licensees
Catalyze the transfer of Tufts technologies for global public benefit Protect Tufts innovations to enhance their value in the marketplace Foster innovation by generating an income stream that supports research at Tufts
80+ cumulative years experience in technology transfer Invention triage and IP management expertise Core research support through industry sponsored agreements and MTAs
Track record of productivity and high performance statistics
Business Development Activities
Start-up efforts (15%) Market outreach (20%) Research agreements (25%) License negotiations (10%) Inventor outreach/ IP management (30%)
Tufts Tech Transfer
Tufts Tech Transfer
has an established track record of intellectual property licensing and start-up company formation During FY2003-2012
Tufts Tech Transfer
licenses/option agreements executed approximately 185 Majority of these agreements are with small enterprises and start-up companies Twenty-Four start-up companies established during this time Start-up companies are a crucial component of the innovation ecosystem
Commercialization Process
Invention disclosure form submitted Triage & prior art analysis Market Analysis Decide Strategy Market to existing company Market to start-up Market to company Hold for more research or give invention back to PI
Tufts Technologies & Start-ups
Pharmaceuticals Screening Arrays Biomaterials
Material Transfer Agreements (MTAs)
The transfer of materials is an important component of today’s research in the biological sciences Biological materials can be patented and licensed for commercial purposes More frequently Tufts Tech Transfer will license biological materials (cell lines, enzymes, vectors, etc.) for commercial purposes without patent protection Tufts Tech Transfer can assist investigators who wish to transfer or receive materials from academic or industry colleagues
Academic MTAs
Outgoing Materials
Tufts Tech Transfer encourages investigators to use the NIH recommended simple letter agreement to cover the transfer of unpatented Tufts materials to academic/non-profit labs Tufts Tech Transfer does not sign the simple letter agreement and need not be involved in these transfers A simple letter agreement may not be appropriate if:
The materials were developed using materials or funds provided by a for-profit institution
The materials are patented or are licensed to a commercial entity Incoming Materials
All material transfer agreements covering materials to be received by Tufts investigators must be reviewed and signed by OTL&IC to ensure that the provisions contained are consistent with the university’s policies
Industry MTAs
Outgoing Materials
Companies interested in receiving materials are required to obtain a license from the university Investigators should notify Tufts Tech Transfer of any companies requesting their materials so that Tufts Tech Transfer may negotiate appropriate licensing arrangements
Incoming Materials
Tufts Tech Transfer must review (and usually negotiate) all MTAs for materials provided by for-profit groups Many of these MTAs contain intellectual property provisions that could be onerous to the recipient or are inconsistent with federal or University policies
Key MTA Provisions
Definition of Material and Ownership Provider maintains ownership of original material, recipient owns modifications and derivatives Provider may be granted first right to an option agreement for any new inventions resulting from use of the material Publication Requirements Maximum of 90 days (30 preferred) for provider to review any pending publications involving the material Provider should only be included as an author if there has been true collaboration
MTA Decision Tree
Incoming Agreement from provider institution; Tech Transfer reviews Outgoing Yes Commercial recipient?
No Yes Contains patented material?
Simple Letter Agreement may be used; no need for Tech Transfer involvement Yes No Developed w/ commercial resources?
No No Existing license?
Yes Contact Tech Transfer
Confidential Disclosure Agreement
A Confidential Disclosure Agreement (CDA) is a contract between a party who is disclosing confidential information and another party who is receiving that information The CDA specifies the receiving party will protect and use the information. Need for Confidential Disclosure Agreement:
Alerts the receiving party to the confidentiality of the information to be received
Specifies the responsibilities required of the receiving party Can be used as evidence in subsequent patent processing
Key CDA Provisions
Direction of information flow Is the CDA one-way or mutual?
Term and expiration Typical CDAs requires information be maintained in confidence for 5 years Longer or shorter terms may present concerns
Tech Transfer Contact Info for Agreements
Material Transfer Simple Letter Agreement http://techtransfer.tufts.edu/wp content/uploads/2012/11/Simple_Letter_Agreement.doc
Lee Tien, Ph.D., Licensing Associate [email protected]