DURHAM, N.H. – The University of New Hampshire (UNH) announced today that it has endorsed the COVID-19 Licensing Guidelines recently released by AUTM, the global association of technology transfer professionals.
The principles provide solid guidance for technology transfer offices globally that are developing technology, treatments, and services that address the current pandemic. AUTM recommends offering time-limited, non-exclusive royalty-free licenses in exchange for the licensee’s agreement to deploy the innovations quickly to address the health crisis. The guidelines were published on April 15th and have already been signed by more than 40 institutions worldwide as well as the Association of American Universities and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities.
“UNH was eager to endorse these guidelines that help academic and federal research institutions quickly and fairly share COVID-19 related innovations,” said Marc Sedam, vice provost for innovation and new ventures and managing director of UNHInnovation, the university's technology transfer office. “Researchers across the world are actively responding to meet the challenges of the pandemic and technology transfer plays an important role in that effort. AUTM developed and published these guidelines to support its membership and speed solutions that address the current public health and safety needs.” Sedam currently serves as chair of AUTM and has been active on the board for several years.
AUTM COVID-19 Licensing Guidelines
- Technology transfer accelerates innovations that impact society and promotes the broad distribution of public health solutions. We encourage intellectual property (IP) owners to adopt a COVID-19 licensing strategy that facilitates rapid pandemic response by licensees and to make the execution of associated transactions a top priority.
- For most technologies, where legally possible, this strategy is best accomplished by adopting time-limited, non-exclusive royalty-free licenses, in exchange for the licensees’ commitment to rapidly make and broadly distribute products and services to prevent, diagnose, treat and contain COVID-19 and protect healthcare workers during the pandemic (as defined by the World Health Organization).
- Licenses may subsequently convert to a more typical commercial license as appropriate. Licenses must also preserve the licensor’s freedom to publish and use the intellectual property for teaching and research.
