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W H AT W E D O Office of Technology Transfer The Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum (DKFZ) is a public-funded non-profit research institution. It performs basic research on the development and prevention of cancer and develops concepts for diagnostics and therapy. The Office of Technology Transfer works as a competent partner at the interface between research and industry. By securing and marketing patented and non-patented research results obtained at DKFZ, it helps to facilitate their economic utilization and thus, for example, to bring new anti-cancer drugs to market. The question of which exploitation strategy is most appropriate in a given case - patenting, licensing, cooperation agreement with industry, business formation - is decided under commercial aspects together with the researchers involved. To be successful in marketing a technology, it is important to know the needs of the “customers” from research, industry, the investment community, politicians, and the media. This requires establishing and intensifying contacts and partnerships and acquiring market knowledge, e. g. through company visits, at conferences and exhibitions, through workshops and company presentations at the DKFZ or outside of it. Main tasks of technology transfer Material Transfer Agreements Service function Consultancy Agreements Industry Co-operation Agreements Invention Disclosures Patent Applications Secrecy Agreements Licenses Spin-Off Companies Marketing Entrepreneurial function C O L L A B O R AT I O N S Collaborations with industry often evolve from contacts between scientists or can be initiated based on a patent or what is called a “Material Transfer Agreement”. A temporary exchange of staff, for example to learn a new technique, or consulting agreements can also strengthen a collaboration. The main conditions for successful cooperations are stipulated in our collaboration guidelines. As a rule, Focusing on for example, inventions belong to the partner where customer needs they originate, with the industry partner being granted an option on inventions that stem from the joint project. The DKFZ receives an adequate share of the revenues from the exploitation of research results. This provides additional funding for research. The clinical activities of the DKFZ are concentrated at the Clinical Cooperation Units and the Tumor Center Heidelberg/Mannheim. Translational research - “from the laboratory workbench to the hospital bed” - will be further expanded in the next few years within the framework of a “Comprehensive Cancer Center” in the form of a joint, interdisciplinary clinical-scientific treatment center. PAT E N T S Technology transfer - Patents are an investment in the future. Since the a discipline that 1990s, the Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum has requires endurance filed patents for over 600 inventions; every year, about 30 to 50 new ones are added. In order to keep patent costs at a reasonable level, the DKFZ uses stringent selection procedures to evaluate the economic exploitation potential of inventions at the start of and throughout the whole patenting process. Whether or not a patented technology lends itself to commercial exploitation is not always a question of high research quality, since the market is governed by its own laws. Inventors should also have economic benefits from their inventions. Therefore, inventors receive 30 percent of the net license royalties. 2.60 Patents and Licenses 1996 - 2002 1.94 1.89 1.9 1.63 1.18 1.06 0.93 0.92 0.85 0.61 0.46 0.33 0.23 Revenues in million EUR Patent costs in million EUR 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 LICENSES SPIN-OFFS Licenses are issued in the form of worldwide and exclusive licenses. Patent information for interested potential licensees is available on the DKFZ website. Basic model of technology transfer from research institutes From the laboratoy The Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum has a workbench to respectable record of successful spin-offs. Moreover, application the DKFZ has acquired equity in spin-off companies. Besides, start-up companies are potential licensees and collaboration partners. Research Expenditures Frequently the company founders are at the same time the main inventors of the patent applications in-licensed from DKFZ. In return for out-licensing, the DKFZ receives a down payment or equity stakes in the spin-off as well as running license royalties. The partners attempt to find such terms that prevent financing problems and liquidity shortages in the starting phase of the new company. Invention Disclosures Patent Applications Technology Licenses The ways in which the DKFZ supports spin-off creation by its staff scientists are stipulated in the “Guidelines for the Formation of Spin-off Companies”. Technology Licenses Yielding Income Spin-off Enterprises License Income Jobs, Competitive Strength Companies founded from DKFZ Technology transfer is The Office of Technology Transfer has established a a management task network of contacts. Jointly with the inventors, the Office identifies potential license partners. License payments can be divided in the form of down payments, milestone payments, and license fees and vary depending on the nature of the invention, its value, development level, and market acceptance. License revenues flow back into research. Company Year Topic Employees Number (approx.) PROGEN Biotechnik GmbH 1983 Diagnostic Tests and Reagents MRC Systems GmbH 1996 Minimal Invasive Systems for 28 Neurosurgery and Precision, Radiation Therapy and Stereotactic Laser of Tumors A3D GmbH 1999 Antisense Technologies 35 3 mtm Laboratories AG 1999 Test Systems, (molecular tools in medicine) Early Diagnosis of Cancer 25 Affimed Therapeutics AG 1999 Therapeutic Antibodies from Antibody Libraries 14 Apogenix AG 2000 Exploration of Apoptosis and its Application for Drugs against Cancer 15 Phase IT AG 2000 Services, Data Mining Platform, Predictive Clinical Studies 8 Peptide Speciality Laboratories GmbH 2000 Production of Peptides 2 RZPD German Resource Center for Genome Research plc 2000 Collection of Clones Combined with Bioinformatics BioSphings AG 2001 Innovative Drugs for Cancer, Virus Infections and Autoimmune Diseases 4 PEPperPRINT GmbH 2001 Peptid Laser Printer 2 20 WHO WE ARE Dr. Ruth Herzog, head of the Technology Transfer Office, molecular biologist with experience in the pharmaceutical industry in the area of oncology, has been working at the Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum (DKFZ) since 1997. Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum Heidelberg Office of Technology Transfer Dr. Frieder Kern, biologist with a doctorate in chemistry, graduate of the business formation program “Post-Graduate BioBusiness”, has been on the team since February 1999; Dr. Christian Kliem, chemist, exchanged his laboratory workbench inhouse for a desk in the Technology Transfer Office; Dr. Anna Lisa Picciolo-Lehrke, biologist, has gathered three years of experience in technology transfer within the EU project CANCTT; Peter Piesche, lawyer, has been in charge of the workpackage “Licensing” within the EU project “ProTon” (Public research organisations’ Technology offices network) since January 2003. Elisabeth Ziegler, patent clerk, has been working at the DKFZ since 1985 and provides the necessary administrative support, jointly with Ilka Singer, patent clerk. Brigitte Helwerth, patent secretary, and Madeleine Marquetant, secretary, assist the team in their work. Im Neuenheimer Feld 280 D - 69120 Heidelberg Phone: +49 (0)6221-42 29 55 Fax: +49 (0)6221-42 29 56 e-mail: [email protected] Internet: www.dkfz.de/Techtrans/