Although universities and pharma companies sometimes seem to be working at cross purposes, boosting collaborative and licensing efforts between the two could help bring innovative new treatments to market faster. Abi Millar digs into the importance of academic-industry collaboration, and how this key source of innovation could be better leveraged in the future.
In January, 15 leading US research universities launched a joint technology licensing programme, with a view to bringing innovations to market faster. The University Technology Licensing Program LLC (UTLP) sets up a patent pool, in which universities can share certain assets from their intellectual property portfolios. This in turn speeds up the licensing process and gives interested companies a ‘one stop shop’ for emerging technologies.
“UTLP is a creative solution to meet a long-felt need for universities and private sector actors,” said David Kappos, the former director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office. “It will make the licensing of technologies much easier and more convenient, to the benefit of all participants.”
Although biopharma innovations aren’t the initial focus of the programme, which spans multiple sectors across the physical sciences, there could be important benefits for pharma further down the line.
Read the rest of this article in the June 2021 edition of Pharma Technology Focus
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