Many of ERDC’s patents are available for licensing. We are here to help you navigate the licensing process and assemble the necessary documents. Below is more detailed information on licensing technologies from ERDC. Companies interested in licensing one or more of ERDC’s innovative technologies are encouraged to contact us to discuss licensing needs and objectives. We will guide you through the licensing process.
Licensing ERDC Technologies
ERDC’s world-class researchers continually develop innovations to benefit the Army and the Nation’s needs. ERDC’s Office of Research and Technology Transfer (ORTT), along with its Partnership Intermediaries, are tasked with helping industry benefit from these inventions by widely disseminating the technologies for incorporation back into military application and/or broader non-military use. To protect the Government’s interests, the technologies are patented, marketed, and licensed to partners for commercial applications.
Many of ERDC’s patents and patent applications are available for licensing. You can find selected technologies under the Featured Technologies section of our web site. ERDC has recently expanded its licensing options to include evaluation licenses to complement the traditional commercial licenses offered. You can find more details below.
Two Licensing Options Available at ERDC
- Evaluation License
- Commercial License
Evaluation License
ERDC offers evaluation licenses to allow organizations to “test drive” the commercial viability of ERDC technologies with minimal risk and minimal up-front commitment. Evaluation licenses are non-exclusive, short-term (one year), and low-cost. This license allows companies to explore a technology’s potential and learn how it will advance business development goals. See our one-page information sheet on evaluation licenses for more detailed information. Applications for evaluation licenses are streamlined and require no negotiation.
Commercial License
ERDC licenses both patented and patent-pending technologies to private industry. All of ERDC’s commercial licenses are individually negotiated, and each license contains terms concerning technology transfer (practical application), license duration, royalties, and periodic reporting—information that constitutes the business terms of the license. Companies interested in licensing one or more of ERDC’s innovative technologies are encouraged to contact us to discuss licensing needs and objectives. We will guide you through the licensing process. See our one-page information sheet on commercial licenses for more detailed information. Commercial License Applications are required. Please be sure to contact us before completing a Commercial License Application.
Licenses may be non-exclusive, partially exclusive, or exclusive within a particular field of use or geographic area. Requests for exclusive and partially exclusive licenses must go through an additional step prior to granting the license. For exclusive licenses, ERDC must place a notice of the prospective license, identifying the invention and the prospective licensee, in the Federal Register. This notice provides an opportunity for other prospects to file written objections within a 15-day period. Any objections are taken into consideration by ERDC.
ERDC’s ORTT will maintain the license application, business terms, commercialization plan, and the license itself in strict confidence. None of this information is subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act. After the license is granted, the ERDC’s ORTT monitors the licensee’s sales of products and services that use the licensed technologies. ERDC may write success stories and, upon approval by the licensee, these may be published on ERDC’s Web site or in other publications.
Resources
- Evaluation License Info Sheet
- Evaluation License Application
- Commercial License Info Sheet
- Commercial License Application