The beautiful thing about intellectual property is that it can be flexibly divided, packaged, and priced to meet the licensee’s particular needs. Licenses are drafted to guarantee that Syracuse University is perfectly aligned with the business goals of our licensees.
Historically, Syracuse University licensees were well-established, large companies. Experience has shown that entrepreneurial startup companies can also be as effective at commercializing new technologies and can become prime candidates for corporate acquisitions. We welcome discussions with potential licensees from either category, whether those initial conversations are “napkin-based” or C-suite communications.
While licensing terms vary greatly from technology to technology, Syracuse University seeks terms which make it economically feasible for a prospective licensee to market a product. Syracuse University has a strong record of negotiating and executing licenses considered to be fair and equitable by our partnering companies and licensees. Fees generally fall into the following categories:
- reimbursement of patent costs,
- license issuance and scheduled (annual or other) fees,
- royalties on product sales,
- milestone development or achievement fees.
Licenses may be available on a cash-only basis, or a cash-plus-equity basis. As is customary in university-to-industry IP licenses, Syracuse University requires due diligence provisions and indemnification for products sold.
Prospective licensees must be prepared to make a well-researched business case that
- demonstrates an understanding and honest assessment of the market (good, bad, and ugly) and
- articulates a reasonable timeline and well-supported cost projections for the pathway to market
- clearly shows that the company can finance the endeavor with existing capital and/or future access to capital.
For an outline of the Syracuse University licensing process, please read the one page Syracuse University Intellectual Property Licensing Process Approach.
A partial list of available technologies from Syracuse University are available on the on-line IP market portal Flintbox. If you don’t find something particular that meets your needs; or perhaps you see a technology that’s not yet at the right stage of development, contact us to discuss customized sponsored research.
Available Intellectual Property
For Syracuse University faculty inventors interested in starting their own business to commercialize their technology, please see the Start-Up section of this website.