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2009 HHMI EARLY CAREER SCIENTIST COMPETITION
Q&A: Intellectual Property—Patenting and Licensing
How does HHMI handle intellectual property?
As the employer, HHMI owns any intellectual property developed by its employees. HHMI assigns intellectual property rights back to the host institution, and shares with the host institution in patenting and licensing expenses and in any royalty income. Distributions of royalty income to inventors are generally not affected by HHMI's involvement, since HHMI defers to the relevant host institution's policy on the amount and timing of such distributions, and it is the host institution that makes any such distributions.
Some technology I developed in the past has been licensed to companies. Does HHMI care about those arrangements?
Yes, if they affect your ongoing research. If you are successful in this competition, we will ask your host institution for copies of all licenses to for-profit companies of technology developed in your laboratory. If any such licenses cover future improvements that might result from your research as an HHMI early career scientist, we are likely to ask that modifications in those licenses be made before your appointment can proceed.
If I get royalties from a company that licensed technology I developed in the past, could I still collaborate with or consult for that company?
Yes, assuming that the license and collaboration or consulting arrangements are consistent with HHMI policies. Also, although our policies would not allow you to have any financial interest in a company with which you are collaborating on a clinical study or trial, we do make an exception for cash royalties from a past license of unrelated technology. For example, if you are a PI on a clinical study that is sponsored by a company, our policies would allow you to receive cash royalties under a prior license of technology unrelated to the current study.
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