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Technology Transfer Office

The mission of the Technology Transfer Office (TTO) at the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) is to build bridges between NHGRI research laboratories and the private sector for the benefit of public health. TTO carries out this mission by assisting in the transfer of NHGRI-developed technologies to the private sector for further development and facilitating the exchange of research resources between NHGRI and outside scientific centers.

Since its inception in 1993, the TTO has been an integral part of NHGRI's Division of Intramural Research (DIR), posting steady annual increases in technology licenses, Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADAs) and Employee Invention Reports (EIR).

The TTO has a variety of mechanisms at its disposal to help NHGRI's intramural program achieve its technology transfer goals, including:

• Evaluation, patenting and licensing of NHGRI employee inventions.
• Negotiation of material transfer agreements and other legal documents enabling the sharing of research resources between NHGRI scientists and the private sector. This sharing may range from obtaining a single, critical reagent to setting up a formal research collaboration.
• Facilitation of CRADAs between NHGRI labs and the private sector.

In addition to these activities, the TTO provides general advice and guidance to NHGRI researchers and administrators on copyrights, intellectual property, conflict of interest issues and related matters.

Resources

• Available Technologies
  NHGRI technologies, inventions and discoveries offered for licensing, including tissue microarrays for rapid molecular profiling, mouse models of inherited disorders and a diverse range of genes. Includes list of current and past licensees.
• Standard Forms and Model Agreements
  Forms and documents for potential collaborators and licensees, plus NHGRI staff.
• Technology Transfer Terms
  A convenient primer for NIH staff on Cooperative Research & Development Agreements (CRADA), Material Transfer Agreements (MTA) and Employee Invention Reports (EIR).

Selected Technology Transfer Sites

• NIH Office of Technology Transfer [ott.od.nih.gov]
• NCI Technology Transfer Branch [otd.nci.nih.gov]
• Technology Transfer Information Center [nalusda.gov]
• National Technology Transfer Center [nttc.edu]

Government Patent Offices

• U.S. Patent and Trademark Office [uspto.gov]
• European Patent Office [epo.co.at]

Biotechnology Groups

• Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM) [autm.net]
• Biotechnology Industry Organization [bio.org]

Contact

Claire T. Driscoll
Director
E-mail: cdriscol@mail.nih.gov

Felicia R. Bass
Technology Transfer Specialist
E-mail: fbass@mail.nih.gov

Catherine Joffee
Administrative Assistant
E-mail: cjoffee@mail.nih.gov

Address

Technology Transfer Office
National Human Genome Research Institute
National Institutes of Health
12 South Drive, MSC 5612
Building 12, Room 1033
Bethesda, MD 20892-5612

Phone: (301) 402-2537
Fax: (301) 402-9722

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Last Updated: July 2004