Licensing Technology from CU
The CU Innovations Office strives to meet the needs of its industry partners by providing a streamlined, collaborative licensing process. CU's goals during the licensing process are twofold: to secure a reasonable financial return to the university (which supports ongoing research activities and offers incentives for CU researchers to pursue the difficult work of technology commercialization); and to create the maximum real-world impact for CU technologies. CU shares in the commercialization risk by combining reasonable initial licensing fees with royalties and milestone payments that are received only as products are developed and sold.
Successful Licensing at CU
CU has over 150 exclusive licenses currently in effect with industry partners, and an additional 200 non-exclusive licenses in effect. CU executed ~50 new licenses and options in fiscal year 2013-14, with industry partners ranging from new startup companies to multinational pharmaceutical companies.
Successful licensing agreements with CU have led to the development of three FDA-approved drugs (Kineret, Macugen and Zostavax), and numerous medical devices and diagnostic technologies. On the physical sciences side, licenses for CU technology have enabled the development of products ranging from 3D theater systems and digital imaging applications to next-generation network management software.
CU Licensing Process
The collaboration between the faculty investigators and the commercial partner is the foundation of any successful licensing relationship. CU Innovations strives to prioritize this collaboration by understanding the motivations and interests of all parties and facilitating a win-win agreement. Many commercial partners seek to test a new innovation prior to committing to a licensing relationship - CU Innovations can accommodate this with a low-cost evaluation license or exclusive option to license.
CU Resources for Technology Maturation
CU recognizes that intellectual property alone rarely has inherent value, especially when it is as early-stage and immature as IP generated by university research typically is. The validation package and underlying research program are often a critical determinant of commercial value and the business case for investment. CU participates in several proof-of-concept programs, as well as in a well-validated ecosystem for maturing inventions into commercially viable programs.