Thursday, April 17, 2008

IP bundling model to be developed

The latest issue of Technology Transfer Tactics mentions that the National Science Foundation (NSF) in the USA has awarded Loma Linda University a three-year Partnership for Innovation (PFI) grant of $593,978 to lead a consortium in developing an IP bundling model for marketing research discoveries from Southern California universities. Loma Linda and the Institute will "develop a Larta concept that will enable universities to jointly market their discoveries by bundling related technologies from different universities."

Larta (http://www.larta.org/), a non-profit commercialization assistance corporation, pioneered the bundling concept and founded Network T2, in which TTOs from regional universities and research institutions work collaboratively to overcome challenges to technology commercialization.

IP Finance asks: from the universities' point of view there are obvious advantages in bundling -- but how will prospective licensees respond?