For Researchers

Overhead Rates by Project Type

Overhead costs support the overall operations of the university and cannot be easily assigned to one specific activity or project, but are necessary for the institution to function. Overhead rates vary by project type.

IPIRA Publications

Do I need to be aware of any conflicts of interest or conflicts of commitment?

Simply advising startup companies doesn’t create a conflict. However, conflicts can arise if, for example: (a) you or the startup conduct commercial work in your lab, or (b) you are compensated by the startup and advise the startup more than the allowable number of days.

Here’s are good resources regarding conflicts of interests:

Conflict of Interest guidance from the UC Berkeley Office of Ethics, Risk, and Compliance Frequently Asked...

Request CDA

Annual Reports

Guides to Outside Consulting

Evaluation of Inventions

You've submitted an invention disclosure to the UC Berkeley Office of Technology Licensing (OTL). What happens next?

How does OTL Assess Invention Disclosures?

Licensing Officers at Berkeley IPIRA OTL examine each invention disclosure to review: the novelty of the invention; protectability and marketability of potential products or services; relationship to related intellectual property; size and growth potential of the relevant market; amount of time and money required for further development; outside parties pre-existing rights associated with the intellectual property (IP); and...

A Primer for IP Rights Agreements

There are several different forms of licensing arrangements that companies can explore for commercializing UC Berkeley research discoveries. The IPIRA Office of Technology Licensing negotiates these contracts on behalf of UC Berkeley, with standardized terms designed to lower transaction costs, and accelerate the commercialization of university research. Companies choose whether to enter into an IP rights letter agreement or option agreement, or pursue a full license agreement immediately, based on their strategy for ...

Annual Reports, Guides and Policies

Licensing Practices to Support Startups

UC Berkeley encourages the formation of companies that develop products based on technologies that are created by our researchers. Successfully developing products and building companies is extraordinarily challenging. Accordingly, the campus provides an innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem that supports our entrepreneurs and startups. As part of our ecosystem, the UC Berkeley Office of Technology Licensing follows 12 practices to support early stage startups that license the university’s IP. An asterix (*) designates practices that are also followed when licensing to mature startups...