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About the CDC Technology Transfer Office

The Technology Transfer Office (TTO) of CDC provides leadership and expertise to promote and effect the timely transfer of knowledge and technology for development of products and processes that improve public health. In 1986, Congress passed the Federal Technology Transfer Act (FTTA) to improve the link between the federal laboratories' technology base and U.S. businesses. The act was amended in 1996 by the National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act. These laws and related legislation authorize federal laboratories to patent and exclusively license inventions to and collaborate with businesses in research and development. CDC's Technology Transfer Office was established in 1988. The TTO staff is responsible for the patenting and licensing of all CDC inventions.

Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADAs) provide an opportunity for U.S. Government scientists to work together with industry investigators to jointly develop new or improved products or processes. To date, more than 70 of these partnerships have been formed between CDC and industry. They have proven to be a very cost-effective way for companies, especially small businesses, to leverage their own R&D efforts. CRADA partners may obtain exclusive licenses on discoveries patented as a result of the collaboration.

Biological Materials Licensing Agreements (BMLAs) were developed by the Public Health Service (PHS) to provide an FTTA-like income stream generated by the commercial use of materials that are not protected by patent. This agreement may grant to companies the right to commercially develop the materials, yet not preclude CDC from distributing the materials for research purposes to others via the Uniform Biological Material License Agreement (UBMLA) or the PHS Materials Transfer Agreement (MTA), and is consistent with PHS guidelines on the sharing of research resources. The UBMLA/MTA is used for research purposes only with limitations placed on the usage of materials.

The TTO negotiates all CDC CRADA licenses and coordinates all of CDC's patent licensing activities. Companies may obtain non-exclusive, exclusive, or partially exclusive license agreements. In some instances, worldwide or foreign rights are also available. License fees and royalties are negotiable, and are generally in keeping with rates charged by academic institutions for comparable technologies.

 

 

 

 

 

Page last reviewed: March 31, 2008
This page last updated: May 23, 2008
Content source: Office of the Chief Science Officer