Berkeley Lab licenses JBEI software and technologies to industry to accelerate commercial adoption and public use and benefit of JBEI inventions. Berkeley Lab seeks licensees that offer the necessary financial, R&D, manufacturing, marketing, and managerial capabilities and commitment to successfully commercialize JBEI innovations.
Our goals are to:
- Promote the use of JBEI technologies to benefit society through licensing to companies capable of successfully commercializing them;
- Support JBEI’s research mission by generating licensing income that supports future research and identifying industry research partners;
- Earn a fair return and recognition for JBEI and its inventors; and
- Contribute to regional and national economic development.
Licensing Practices
- Terms of each license vary according to the market value of each technology and the common licensing practices of the relevant industrial sector.
- Licenses typically have at least these three monetary terms:
- License issue fee – due upon execution of the agreement;
- Earned royalty – most commonly based on a percentage of sales; and
- Minimum annual royalties.
- Licenses also contain performance requirements for the licensee. These are mutually agreed upon milestones that reflect the licensee’s diligent progress in developing the technology and bringing it to public benefit.
- Licenses may be exclusive or non-exclusive for a particular field of use or geographic region.
- When an agreement grants an exclusive license for the U.S. market, the licensee must substantially manufacture the technology in the U.S.
- The U.S. government is granted a nontransferable, non-exclusive license to use the invention for government purposes only, as is standard practice with federally funded inventions.
The Berkeley Lab Innovation and Partnerships Office looks forward to working with you to develop commercially reasonable and fair license terms and conditions. Qualified small, woman-owned, minority-owned, and disadvantaged businesses are especially encouraged to inquire.
For more information on licensing, please see Frequently Asked Questions.