University College Dublin Launches New Online Licensing Platform

UCD technology transfer office at NovaUCD today announced the launch of a new online licensing platform (http://licence.ucd.ie) to promote and license technologies developed at the University.

The platform provides three options to potential licensees to access UCD technologies, ‘buy it now’, ‘obtain a non-commercial licence’ and ‘make an enquiry’. The technologies included under the ‘buy it now’ option can be broadly classified as research tools, such as cell lines, vectors or certain software, with relatively low inherent value.

Until now members of UCD’s technology transfer team spent significant time negotiating bespoke licences for such technologies. In order to streamline this process UCD partnered with Aficionado Technologies Ltd, a UCD spin-out company, to develop and launch the UCD Online Licensing Platform to license such technologies on a non-exclusive basis, to multiple users, for a relatively small one-time payment, in a seamless manner.

The search engine optimised platform incorporates a simple, non-negotiable, one-page licence agreement for the ‘buy-it-now’ technologies available on the platform.

The platform also incorporates Stripe to accept, manage, and track online credit card payments, eliminating the need for back office tasks such as manual invoicing or processing of payments.

Potential licensees can also use the new platform to seek non-commercial licences to certain UCD technologies (mainly academic users). In addition enquires to the technology transfer team can be made through the platform, in relation to other UCD technologies, such as patented inventions, which require more bespoke licensing negotiations.

UCD has now licensed the technology behind the UCD Online Licensing Platform to Aficionado enabling it market the platform to other technology transfer offices in Ireland and internationally.

Speaking at NovaUCD Dr Ciaran O’Beirne, Manager, Technology Transfer said, “The UCD Online Licensing Platform provides us with a vehicle to streamline and improve the process of licensing technologies developed at UCD helping to ensure a better return on the State’s investment in research at the University.”

He added, “We were delighted to have worked with Aficionado, a UCD spin-out headquartered at NovaUCD, to develop the technology and to have licensed the technology to the company to enable it to market the platform in Ireland and around the world.”

Dr Kevin McCarthy, CEO and Founder, of Aficionado said, “We are very happy that the UCD Licensing Platform is now live, available to the public and showcasing the available licensing opportunities. The Aficionado Licences product is a welcome addition to our suite of university resource management software and we would like to thank NovaUCD for their help in the creation and development of this solution.”

The platform has already generated enquires from Ireland, UK, continental Europe, United States, South America, Asia and the Middle East and a number of commercial and non-commercial licences have already been executed through the Platform.