Our nation is facing difficult times during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the National Institutes of Health is working over-time to identify tests and potential vaccines to fight this deadly virus. Specifically, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), headed by Dr. Anthony Fauci, is at the forefront of this mission. In addition to COVID-19, NIAID is also working side-by-side with industry in other R&D areas. The Office of Tech Transfer and Intellectual Property serves as the facilitator between businesses and NIH researchers to license and collaborate on Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADAs). They create partnerships with universities, NGOs and other government agencies.
During this Zoom presentation, you will learn what NIAID’s tech transfer office offers, what major initiatives they are working on currently, how they implement various agreements, what resources they offer to collaborate with both large and small entities, and most importantly – what progress has been made in the fight against COVID-19 and what YOU can do to support their efforts. For additional information on NIAID COVID-19 programs, please visit: https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/niaid-strategic-plan-detai...
Speaker:
Michael R. Mowatt, Ph.D.
Director, Technology Transfer and Intellectual Property Office
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
National Institutes of Health
Since 2001 Dr. Mowatt has directed the technology transfer program at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). His team of fifty talented professionals includes scientists, attorneys, and former business persons who facilitate cutting edge biomedical research and advance the development and commercialization of NIAID’s innovations for the betterment of public health. NIAID’s commercial successes include vaccines for viral hepatitis and rotavirus, monoclonal antibodies against respiratory syncytial virus, veterinary vaccines that employ recombinant poxviruses, and diagnostic tests for gastrointestinal parasites and viruses.
In addition to managing NIAID’s intellectual property portfolio of 400 patent families, over 30% of which is licensed, Dr. Mowatt’s team negotiates transactional agreements, including CRADAs, that underpin the success of NIAID’s research and R&D programs. His team has negotiated a wide variety of agreements with partners that include universities, nongovernmental organizations, other US government agencies, and philanthropic organizations such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, as well as commercial concerns ranging from large pharmaceutical companies with bureaucracies that rival that of the US government to small biotechnology companies and everything in between. Since 2015 the office has also managed patenting and licensing for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Dr. Mowatt led the growth of this office to support the expanding needs of NIAID’s biodefense and emerging infectious disease research initiatives, including the Ebola and Zika viruses and, most recently SARS-CoV-2.