Licensing NIST Technologies

Patent Licenses

The Technology Partnerships Office (TPO) prepares, negotiates and manages licenses for inventions owned by NIST. NIST may grant licenses for commercial purposes either exclusively or non-exclusively for a specific field of use. For research purposes, NIST grants only non-exclusive licenses. For further information, please contact a License Officer at TPO. NIST's model license agreements are available for review, although the terms and conditions may be modified for a specific license on a case-by-case basis.

How to Apply for a License

Parties interested in licensing a NIST-owned invention may contact a License Officer at NIST, or may complete a research license application or commercial use license application. Instructions on how to submit the license application are provided at the end of each application. When a license application is received by a License Officer, TPO will contact you regarding the licensing process and to obtain additional information that may be necessary for the application process. A license application should include the prospective licensee's intentions for research and development of the invention(s) and a description of the resources and technical capabilities of the prospective licensee to bring the invention to practical application.

Modifying a License Agreement

Should a need arise to modify the terms of a license agreement, the licensee may contact a License Officer at NIST to discuss a modification to the license agreement. Any such modification will only be effective when set forth in writing and signed by all parties.