As a stand alone technology transfer office, the Office of Technology Transfer and Innovation Access (OTTIA) provides a complete array of services, supporting the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)'s technology development activities. To ensure that these activities comport with Federal statutes, regulations and the policies of the National Institutes of Health, a large part of OTTIA's responsibilities includes the day-to-day negotiations of transactional agreements between the NIDCR and outside parties, including universities, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. Concurrently, OTTIA broadens the impact of NIDCR intramural research by fostering scientific exchange, promoting NIDCR research, and obtaining material and financial resources. Agreements facilitate: *exchanges of research materials under the Material Transfer Agreements (MTAs); *collaborative research conducted under cooperative research and development agreements (CRADAs); *clinical studies to determine the safety and efficacy of new agents and devices under clinical CRADAs; *exchanges of confidential information or data under confidential disclosure and data sharing agreements (CDAs, DSAs); and *licensing of technologies for commercial evaluation, product development, internal private-sector research use, and support of external non-profit technology transfer efforts. OTTIA reviews employee invention reports, assesses patentability, evaluates commercial potential, and makes decisions concerning filing of domestic and foreign patent applications. We monitor the patent prosecution, and fulfilment of associated legal contracts, for NIDCR-owned inventions. We conduct marketing activities to license those inventions and develop and/or assess development strategies to bring technologies to fruition. OTTIA integrates the agreement and invention work to develop strategies for partnerships, thus complementing and extending NIDCRs capabilities to better meet our mission goals. Our staff participates in meetings, discussions and conferences, as appropriate, to stay apprised of and monitor scientists' needs, and to both contribute and learn from the NIH and broader Technology Transfer communities.
| Wei, Zheng; Angerer, Lynne M; Angerer, Robert C (2016) Neurogenic gene regulatory pathways in the sea urchin embryo. Development 143:298-305 |
