OTT protects, monitors, markets and manages the wide range of NIH discoveries, inventions, and other intellectual property as mandated by the Federal Technology Transfer Act and related legislation.
Technology transfer at the NIH begins in these laboratories and makes these discoveries available to improve public health through licensing and collaboration agreements with the private sector.
• Serves as a bridge through marketing and communications, connecting the inventive discoveries made by scientists in the NIH and CDC research programs to commercial partners with the capability of developing these technologies into products and services to benefit public health.
• Monitors the development of these technologies to ensure commercialization milestones are reached, products are brought to the market, and royalty fees are paid.
It was established in 1986 subsequent to the Federal Technology Transfer Act as a centralized group to oversee patent and license matters for all of the NIH Institutes and Centers.