| Ownership
of intellectual property in agricultural biotechnology
(click to view larger
image)
Source: Public Intellectual Property Resource for Agriculture
MU
templates dealing with intellectual property
All agreements
need to be filed and approved by the MU
Office of Technology and Special Projects. |
It
used to be that working at a university meant you could go about
the business of research and education largely untethered to
the commercial world. Publications offered pride in ownership,
and the public domain held the remainder of the goods. As the
knowledge-based economy became increasingly understood, and with
it, the strong relationship between university research and
business innovation widely recognized, the landmark Bayh-Dole legislation
was passed in 1980 to guide the commercialization of university
research. Since then, MU and most other universities have developed
their own policies and procedures to transfer university-driven
technology to the private sector.
The authority
for technology transfer practices at MU lies within the Office
of Research, and more specifically within the Office
of Technology and Special Projects (OTSP). This office
is charged with assisting faculty members in managing their
intellectual property, including disclosing inventions, filing
patents, and licensing technology for commercial development
to the private sector. While all public universities abide
by the same guiding principles, most have developed their own
habits, customs and personalities.
With an increasing
emphasis on economic development as a logical outcome from
a research university such as MU, we have taken a critical
look at how well our policies have worked, and what we could
do to improve them. In January of 2003, the Missouri Technology
Corporation reviewed MU policies in some depth, and authored
a report detailing
ways to improve MU’s
ability to successfully transfer university technology to the
private sector. Following that external study in October of
2003, Jim Coleman, the then new vice provost
for research, commissioned a more internal
review (PDF) with
the help of the American Association for the Advancement of
Science.
Recent examination
of our metrics (such as disclosures, patents, and licensing
income) reveals increasing activity in technology transfer.
Despite these increases, we in agriculture and life sciences
know we offer even greater potential for public/private partnerships
as a part of the overall MU economic development effort. While
most of the intellectual property in agriculture is held in
the private sector (see figure, top, left), my findings confirm
the trend for the private sector to increasingly look towards
major research universities for basic research and discovery.
Thin profits have forced many companies to emphasize squeezing
the most they can out of existing products at the expense of
developing new ones. A university such as MU makes for an attractive
partner to collaboratively achieve the research and development
necessary to stay competitive today.
To aid this
effort, we in CAFNR will be stepping up our education with
faculty, staff and students on the best ways to steward our
intellectual property. We have joined the Public
Intellectual Property Resource for Agriculture (PIPRA)
coalition along with many of our peer institutions. We are
also working to provide guidelines to manage the relationship
you may have with the private sector – a step that comes
long before disclosures, patents and licensing. OTSP has developed
guiding templates for non-disclosure agreements, material transfer
agreements, and agreements with visiting scientists (found
at left, above), which should be regular tools used by faculty
members in the management of their intellectual property. Lastly,
we hope to be actively participating in the incubator once
it begins operation, and perhaps even establish a research
park on South Farm for innovation-based companies that are
spun off from our research. Our programs hold great value for
society as well as for business. Look for future workshops
coming this fall to help us truly steward the intellectual
property we create for the good of the faculty, the university,
the state and the economy.
Regards,
John |
