At UC Berkeley, we recognize that the path from breakthrough research to societal benefit requires agile and strategic collaboration between the university and companies. That's why we created the Innovation Access Agreement (IAA) to streamline the transfer of non-patentable and non-copyrightable university assets to accelerate commercialization and benefit the public.
Moving Innovation to the Marketplace
The IAA is designed to reduce friction for our commercialization partners, establishing a collaborative framework between a company and the university. By providing clear, non-exclusive access to foundational expertise and technical data, we aim to empower companies to bring beneficial solutions to the global marketplace.
Review the Innovation Access Agreement (pdf)
Accessing Innovation IP: A Royalty-Free License
Under the terms of the IAA, the university provides access to "Innovation IP." This category represents intellectual property that is neither patented nor copyrightable, yet remains vital to commercial development.
Scope of Innovation IP
Innovation IP includes:
- Technical Assets: Non-patented and non-copyrightable technical information, methods, and protocols.
- Data and Expertise: Data and specialized expertise developed within specific university laboratories or under the supervision of a designated principal investigator.
- Artifacts: Discoveries, systems, and physical or digital artifacts developed at the university.
The IAA grants companies a royalty-free, non-exclusive, and non-sublicensable license to make, use, sell, import, disclose, reproduce, and distribute the Innovation IP.
The Built with Berkeley Innovation Logo
To support our partners in signaling their connection to UC Berkeley’s innovation ecosystem, this agreement includes a license for the official Built with Berkeley Innovation Logo. The company must adhere to the Innovation Logo Brand Guidelines and all general UC Berkeley brand guidelines.
University Investment Rights and Participation
In exchange for the grant of rights to Innovation IP and the Innovation Logo, the university maintains the right to participate in a company’s future capital raises to maintain a stake in the commercial potential the university helped catalyze.