As the designated technology transfer office for UW-Milwaukee (UWM), the UWM Research Foundation (UWMRF) is offering several options for Intellectual Property (IP) licensing tied to sponsored research conducted with industry partners. The goal is to make partnering transparent, fair, and with minimal negotiation, in order to focus on research, innovation, and bringing new products to market.
When a company is interested in conducting a research project with UWM faculty, they can lock in up-front specific royalty rates for a flat fee on top of the costs of the research. These rates are lower than the rates normally utilized for comparable deals for early-stage technologies. Any license will require that the company pays all patent costs. Royalties will only be paid to the university once the licensed product is proven to be successful, with a cumulative net sale of $20 million.
Details (also shown in the chart above)
- “The Prowl” option is for a Non-exclusive license, fees will be $10,000 for companies, with a royalty rate of 0.5% for inventions or 1.5% for software/copyrighted works.
- “The Pounce” option is for an Exclusive license which includes a $20,000 up-front fee, with a 1.5% royalty for inventions or 4.5% royalty for software/copyrighted works.
If a company does not lock in the Panther Partnering rates at the time of signing the sponsored research agreement, a conventional license with standard comparable terms can be negotiated at a later date, when the project is completed. By deciding at the start of the project, the company and the university take the risk together to explore new research areas and work to create novel intellectual property and products.
Other Details
- The company must pay the license fee at the start of the sponsored research project, otherwise a conventional license negotiation will be utilized.
- The company selecting a non-exclusive license can upgrade to an exclusive license at the time of the patent filing.
- At this time certain types of technologies and agreements are excluded from Panther Partnering including but not limited to industry master agreements, pharmaceutical/drug development, and medical devices needing regulatory approval.
- IP will be owned by UWMRF unless there is joint inventorship by an industry sponsor employee.
For more information on corporate partnering please refer to the Office of Research page on Industry Collaborations.
For examples of UWM Sponsored Research Agreements (Fixed Price and Cost Reimbursable) please click here and scroll down in the first table titled “Award Acceptance/Management”