What is technology transfer?

The formal technology transfer process captures intellectual output from UW research and attaches appropriate intellectual property rights so that UW inventions, copyrighted works and technical information may be licensed to companies or used directly by the public. At the UW, we view technology transfer as another way the university “teaches” the public about research discoveries so that UW innovation can be adopted more broadly by society.

Bringing innovation to the marketplace

Licensing of UW innovation helps meet the university’s mission to teach broadly and promote economic development.  Licensing provides the contractual framework to ensure that the investment needed to bring UW innovation into the marketplace actually occurs and that reinvestment of resources from licensing refuels UW’s teaching and research mission.

Meeting UW obligations to sponsors of research

Disclosure and licensing of innovation also meets UW’s obligations to our research sponsors including the U.S. Government.   In 1980, the Bayh-Doyle Act was passed requiring universities to report all inventions arising from federally supported research and to agree to diligently pursue patent protection and commercialization for new technologies that are commercially promising.  Industry sponsored research and increasingly, foundation grants also have requirements regarding disclosure of innovation and expectations regarding licensing of innovation created under these research awards.

The technology transfer process at UW:

The technology transfer process varies depending on the nature of the innovation and the goals of the innovator. Below is a general work flow:

  1. The technology transfer process begins when a researcher contacts UW TechTransfer and asks for a consultation with our licensing professionals or discloses an innovation (invention, research material, software, digital media) to our office.
  2. We set up a meeting with the researcher to discuss the innovation in the context of their research program’s goals.  UW TechTransfer helps assess the innovation’s suitability for transfer outside UW which may include an assessment of commercial viability and patentability.
  3. With the participation of the research team, UW TechTransfer may use a variety of intellectual property management tools (patent, copyright, and trademark) to support a technology transfer plan that aligns with the researcher’s goals.
  4. The technology transfer process may result in licensing the technology and associated intellectual property rights to other researchers, end users, established companies, or startup companies spun out of the UW for further development.  Our licenses provide for attribution to the UW and the researcher, diligence, reservation of the UW’s publication and research rights, and a transfer of commercial risk to industry partners.
  5. A licensee may receive a license to simply use the innovation or the license may be a contract for further development and commercialization of the innovation resulting in the creation of new goods and services for the public and licensing revenue back to UW.
  6. Some innovations are market-ready and can be licensed to end-users.  UW TechTransfer expedites the commercialization by offering multiple channels for end-user licenses.