By GREGORY ZELLER //
A cornerstone of Long Island commercialization is stepping up its already impressive game.
Stony Brook University has flipped the switch on its new Commercial Licensing and Express IP terms for Applied Research program, designed to bring innovative flexibility to the licensing of intellectual property developed through SBU’s applied-research industrial partnerships.
With two New York State Centers of Excellence, two New York State Centers for Advanced Technology (the only campus in the state currently hosting two CATs) and a healthy selection of business-incubator programs, SBU – which is also home base to the Long Island Manufacturing Extension Partnership, the Island’s New York MEP regional center – is already a roaring engine for scientific achievement and the commercialization of cutting-edge research.
Now comes CLEAR-IP, a booster rocket that aims to fast-track hot new IP from the sponsored-research phase to the marketplace – and, just as importantly, to ensure that industry partners realize the economic and societal benefits of working with SBU as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Michael Kinch: Critical pathways.
CLEAR-IP is built to give industry partners three distinct pathways to licensing IP developed through SBU applied research: Traditional, Exclusive and Non-Exclusive Royalty-Free.
Each option is formulated to meet different business needs, appealing to companies looking for the quick-and-exclusive right to bring a discovery to market, companies opting to evaluate before committing to commercialization and companies seeking immediate, royalty-free access to a new product or service.
By eschewing a one-size-fits-all commercialization approach and offering all three conduits, CLEAR-IP provides “the clarity, speed, and flexibility [industry partners] need to bring groundbreaking discoveries to the marketplace,” according to SBU Chief Innovation Officer Michael Kinch.
“Too often, the journey from idea to impact is delayed by lengthy negotiations that don’t serve the urgency of innovation,” Kinch noted. “CLEAR-IP is a game-changer for how Stony Brook partners with industry.”
The CLEAR-IP model – which meets all federal-funding regulations – applies to eligible for-profit, company-sponsored research agreements and certain government-funded subcontracts valued under $1 million.
It also provides industry partners with the elbow room they need to support research collaborations on terms that align with their short- and long-term goals – testing an early-stage concept, launching a market-ready product and everything in between.
“Commercialization is a critical pathway for translating academic research into real-world solutions,” Kinch added. “With CLEAR-IP, we are signaling to industry that we are serious about partnerships and serious about impact.”
