Socially Responsible Licensing

Boston University is committed to licensing its technologies in a socially responsible manner.  To that end, Boston University was one of the Universities which drafted the Statement of Principles on Equitable Dissemination of Medical Technologies recently released by the Association of University Technology Managers, Boston University, Brown University, Harvard University, Oregon Health & Science University, University of Pennsylvania, and Yale University.

Exclusive licenses for technologies that have the potential to improve the quality of life of people living in the developing world will include provisions that will lead to affordable access of the resultant products.  Mechanisms by which affordable access can be achieved are discussed in a paper published in the Journal of the Licensing Executives Society International in June 2008.

Boston University has been implementing this philosophy since 2007 and has been able to reach agreement with licensees on appropriate mechanisms that do not diminish the value and commercial potential of the technology in developed world markets while providing safeguards for people in developing countries.

Boston University will include global access principles in all exclusive licenses to drug, vaccine and diagnostic technologies.  We will also include these provisions in licenses for agricultural, nutritional, clean water and sustainable energy technologies.

The Association of University Technology Managers has created a Global Health Toolkit with additional resources available for download.