UBC technologies have the potential to generate significant social, environmental and economic impact in the world. In 2007, UBC became the first university in Canada to develop a broad strategy to ensure global access to its technologies.
To maximize the global impact of UBC technologies, we need practical mechanisms and partnering strategies that enhance the economic and societal benefits of university innovations, extend these benefits internationally, and ensure fair access for relevant communities.
To this end, while applying the University's intellectual property policy, UBC will:
- Promote global access by entering public/private partnerships to develop new technologies to benefit the developing world
- Prioritize environmentally friendly research and green alternatives, and take the lead in community sustainability
- Respect biodiversity, ensuring value return to countries of origin
- Endeavour to ensure that under privileged populations have 'at cost' access to UBC research innovations through negotiated global access terms whenever appropriate
As the understanding of issues relating to societal licensing evolves, balancing ambitious objectives with legitimate business concerns requires patience, determination, and the willingness to be both pragmatic and flexible. To support our social licensing commitment, UBC will, where possible, employ the following strategies:
- Build on the values of access and dissemination as demonstrated in the open-source movement in the IT sector
- Promote the use of non-exclusive licensing of research tools
- Consider field-of-use and jurisdictional limitations in exclusive licenses to exclude developing world countries
- Negotiate developing world access 'at cost' to relevant technologies which are licensed on a world-wide exclusive basis (required for technology development)
- Seek partnerships with not-for-profit and charitable organizations to provide much needed funding for neglected disease areas
- Design patent strategies with our development partners that ensure quality product delivery to those most in need, while promoting sustainable, local infrastructure
In measuring the success of technology transfer activities at UBC, societal impact has become a key metric alongside standard throughput, financial and economic measurements.
For more information on how the global principles may apply to specific technologies or general questions related to our strategy, please contact our team.
