Through the Washington Innovation Advantage Program the University of Washington offers companies convenient, clearly defined options for licensing intellectual property generated as part of a sponsored project. Industry sponsors can opt into set financial terms for nonexclusive or exclusive commercial licenses to project IP at the time the agreement is negotiated. Project IP means all IP created within the scope of the efforts on the sponsored project, whether conceived or developed solely by the UW or jointly by the UW and the sponsor. IP created outside the sponsored research agreement is not included in project IP.
Benefits
The Washington Innovation Advantage Program increases transparency and reduces barriers to industry research engagements with the University. By allowing industry research sponsors to pay a low fixed price up front for commercial licenses to project IP, the Washington Innovation Advantage Program streamlines the execution of sponsored project agreements, reduces financial uncertainty for sponsors and greatly reduces the time spent on licensing negotiations.
Licensing options
| Option | Description | Cost | Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Non-exclusive license | Fixes financial terms for a nonexclusive, commercial license to project IP, without right to sublicense. No diligence terms or required reporting. |
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| 2. Exclusive license | Fixes financial terms for an exclusive license to project IP, with right to sublicense, including diligence and reporting terms. |
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| 3. Option to negotiate exclusive license | Sponsor receives the right to negotiate a commercial license to project IP on commercially reasonable terms after IP creation. |
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Important points about how the Washington Innovation Advantage Program works
- The principal investigator and the UW must opt in to option 1 and option 2.
- To comply with IRS regulations, option 2 is limited to projects that can be conducted in UW buildings available for private business use.
- Industry-sponsored projects involving federal funding (e.g. Small Business Innovation Research grants or Small Business Technology Transfer grants) are subject to Bayh-Dole Act limitations.
- The industry sponsor must select and pay for option 1 or option 2 up front, at the time that the research agreement is established.
- The UW’s CoMotion office will invoice sponsors; fees for the Washington Innovation Advantage Program are nonrefundable.
- For options 1 and 2, UW’s CoMotion office will, at the company’s request, execute a license agreement with sponsor at the time that an invention is made.