Each year, hundreds of new inventions are made in Public Health Service (PHS) laboratories. The Office of Technology Transfer (OTT) transfers these inventions -- through licensing to the private sector -- for development that will benefit the public health. Often, companies in the private sector require patent protection to justify the expenditure of resources needed to fully develop a particular invention. Where necessary to ensure the rapid and effective development of a particular invention OTT seeks intellectual property protection (both domestic and foreign) on NIH & FDA inventions.