Argonne’s Science and Technology Partnerships and Outreach directorate negotiates and manages license agreements on behalf of UChicago Argonne, LLC, which operates Argonne for the U.S. Department of Energy. Argonne licenses a broad range of cutting-edge technologies to private industry.
Argonne seeks as licensees companies that can manage the requisite financial, research and development, manufacturing, marketing, and management functions necessary to successfully commercialize innovations resulting from Argonne research.
Once an Argonne-developed technology has been determined to be licensable, several types of agreements may be available:
- Commercial
- Noncommercial
- Option
- Government use
Argonne requires a commercialization plan from prospective licensees before licensing its intellectual property. The plan better enables Argonne and the prospective licensee to determine and characterize the business fit between their interests.
The type of license selected depends on the technology, the type of organization seeking a license, and the intended use.