News and Events > CU TTO Executes Four Inter-Institutional Agreements (IIA's) to Foster Collaborative Research

CU TTO Executes Four Inter-Institutional Agreements (IIA's) to Foster Collaborative Research

January 14, 2004

When researchers from separate research institutions collaborate on an invention, the institutions at which the inventors are employed will each have an equal ownership interest in the invention. Joint ownership of an invention can present a significant convolution for IP protection and commercialization. First, the parties must agree on a strategy to protecting the invention. Without agreement, the patent application and prosecution might not take advantage of input from all the inventors and the validity of the patent could be an issue. Second, because each institution has non-exclusive rights to the invention, unless they agree to a joint commercialization approach, either party can purse its non-exclusive interest. Licensee companies typically desire to work with one entity and to secure exclusive license rights. Therefore, for the joint invention to be treated as a singular asset, the institutions with the joint interest must agree on a process to protect and commercialize the invention.

An Inter-Institutional Agreement (IIA), which is executed by the institution-owners, sets forth how a jointly owned invention will be protected and commercialized. At this point midway in the fiscal year, the University of Colorado Technology Transfer Office (CU TTO) has executed four such inter-institutional agreements with four separate institutions. CU TTO executed an IIA with National Jewish Medical and Research Center in September 2004 to manage the protection and commercialization of a technology invented by CU inventors V. Michael Holers and Joshua Thurman in collaboration with National Jewish researchers. CU TTO executed an IIA with Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in September 2004 to manage the protection and commercialization of a technology invented by CU inventors Heide Ford and Ricardo Coletta in collaboration with Dana-Farber researchers. CU TTO executed an IIA with AMC Cancer Research Center in November 2004 to manage the protection and commercialization of a technology invented by CU inventor/AMC researcher Jaime Modiano. Finally, CU TTO executed an IIA with Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) Foundation for Research Development October 2004 to manage the protection and commercialization of a technology invented by CU inventor V. Michael Holers and a MUSC researcher.