What to know
- CDC licenses inventions from its laboratories to the private sector to facilitate the development of useful products and services that can improve people's lives. If you are interested in acquiring the rights to use a CDC technology, please contact the CDC Technology Transfer Office (TTO) at TTO@cdc.gov for assistance.
Overview
Each year, CDC researchers develop new technologies with the promise to benefit public health. CDC establishes licenses to transfer CDC’s technologies to interested partners for further research, development, and commercialization. If a company would like to acquire rights to use or commercialize an invention, a license is normally required. The licensing of CDC technologies is handled in partnership with the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
There are a variety of types of licenses available based on a licensee's needs and interests. For non-patented biological materials, the standard licensing agreement is a Biological Materials License Agreement (BMLA). If a company would like to test the technology first, then a Commercial Evaluation License Agreement (CELA) is available. Also available are Non-exclusive and Exclusive Patent licenses. Should a company only need to use the technology for internal R&D research, an Internal Commercial Use License Agreement is available. Each of these agreement types is further described on the NIH Office of Technology Transfer's (OTT) web page.
How to Obtain a License
Companies interested in learning more about CDC technologies are encouraged to visit the Technologies Available for Licensing page. CDC technologies available for licensing are also listed on the NIH OTT web page. The licensing of CDC technologies is handled via a partnership with the NIH, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. A company that desires a license to develop a CDC invention must complete and submit a NIH License Application.
This application forms the primary basis for licensing decisions. It provides information about the potential licensee, the type of license desired, some of the terms desired, and the potential licensee's plans for development and/or commercialization of the invention. Also, if the applicant desires a license with some form of exclusivity, the completed application provides the applicant's justification for an exclusive license. More information on the license process can be found here.
Apply for a license
Contact
If you have any specific inquiries about licensing, those questions can be directed to the CDC TTO at TTO@cdc.gov.
Information on technologies currently available for licensing may be obtained by contacting a CDC Licensing and Patenting Manager or TTO@cdc.gov.