The Office of Technology Transfer Office (OTT) negotiates Material Transfer Agreements, Cooperative Research Development Agreements, Licenses, Collaboration Agreements, Confidential Disclosure Agreements, and Clinical Trial Agreements. We also provide guidance and assistance to NIMH researchers, evaluate employee inventions for their patentability and commercial potential, coordinate royalty distributions arising out of NIMH inventions, and inform NIMH personnel and researchers about the latest and relevant developments in the technology transfer area. In addition, the OTT serves as a conduit for interactions between NIMH researchers and private and/or public entities, represents NIMH interests in intramural and extramural technology transfer activities, assists NIMH management in formulating policies and procedures affecting technology transfer issues, interacts regularly with NIH ODs OTT royalties and licensing monitoring and enforcement professionals and outside counsel to secure the patent protection for inventions. In the first 11 months of this fiscal year, 113 Material Transfer Agreements, 2 Licenses, 7 Confidential Disclosure Agreements, 1 Collaborative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA), 1 Clinical Trial Agreement, 1 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and 3 Collaboration Agreements were completed. One invention report was received and analyzed for patentability and the ongoing communications with the patent offices in the US and other countries of previous inventions monitored. We also communicated with publishers on behalf of NIMH scientists with respect to the publishers' copyright agreements and reviewed incoming grant agreements for the budget office. We have been working to accelerate marketing efforts and have designed and distributed marketing materials for several meetings, including the Federal Lab Consortium National Meeting and Neurotechnology Industry Organization. A NIMH technology transfer representative was a speaker at NIHs 2015 annual Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) meeting on how to collaborate with the NIH and met with several company representatives. NIMH technology transfer has participated in various NIH-wide technology transfer committees and initiatives to help streamline and modernize some of the processes involved in technology transfer. NIMH technology transfer personnel served as committee members on NIHs response to President Obamas Memorandum of Technology Transfer, specifically on technology advancement accelerators and outreach. Moreover, NIMH is developing a research tool catalog, a listing of research materials available for licensing that NIMHs OTT can distribute to companies. Lastly, NIMH and NINDS are working together to establish a neuroscience-focused technology transfer collaboration designed to take advantage of the common neuroscience underpinnings that form the foundation of the ICs to maximize impact, efficiency and effectiveness. In FY 2016, an integrated database combining technology transfer information from both ICs was established.
