Portland State University (PSU) embodies its motto “let knowledge serve the city” by working with students and faculty to support their research and projects through the Non-Exclusive Licensing Program. This program serves as a great way to disseminate knowledge, widen impact, and provide aid to those doing important work at PSU.
The Office of Innovation & Intellectual Property (IIP), essential to this process, serves PSU faculty, students, and staff. IIP is responsible for protecting intellectual property developed through PSU research activities. PSU faculty, staff, and students working with IIP have the tools and resources to expand the public impact of their work to the broader community. Students and faculty are able to take their research to the next level, supporting PSU’s mission to pursue excellence through accessibility, innovation, and collaboration.
Key to creating these kinds of impacts is PSU’s Non-Exclusive Licensing Program. This program, allowing more than one partner in on a specific project, creates opportunity for a large reach. Examples of what may be appropriate for a non-exclusive license are: software/courseware, curricula, databases/datasets, scales, questionnaires/surveys, print/digital/audio media, designs, and program/training materials.
Ash Alexander, IIP’s Non-Exclusive Licensing Program Administrator, shared the process for obtaining a non-exclusive license: “when faculty develop a program that have potential for greater impact through licensing, they’ll disclose their project to our office, and I’ll research the market for commercialization potential and for licensees that would be willing to sign with PSU.”
“Essentially, this is another avenue of funding for our faculty. It’s an alternative to being funded primarily by grants, and it helps with the overall sustainability of a program, providing resources to support implementation of the copyright materials that are difficult to support by any other means” Alexander said.
Here to Help (H2H), developed through PSU’s Reclaiming Futures, is an example of a successful program that utilizes a non-exclusive license. H2H is a self-guided, online, public health screening tool for adults, youth, families, and educators that serves to help respondents pinpoint stressors affecting their wellbeing. The tool is delivered on an interactive platform developed by an innovative tech firm called Tickit Health. Youth and families using the tool can be connected to resources aimed at assistance.
Evan Elkin, national executive director of Reclaiming Futures, expressed his appreciation for IIP and said, “working with IIP has been a really positive, collaborative experience. It’s in their nature to deeply understand what is unique about your work and understand the mission driven nature of a project. IIP has become more than an administrative partner, they’ve become a thought partner in this whole process.”
“Reclaiming Futures has successfully utilized the licensing model for bringing in funding to their programs and increasing their impact,” Alexander said. Reclaiming Futures has been implemented in a total of 21 states, including Oregon, Washington, Louisiana, and North Carolina and is utilized in partnership with nonprofit and state agencies, including many that focus assistance on disadvantaged youth and families.
Other notable projects in this realm are the Endangered Species Database and Oregon iMapInvasives, which are online GIS-based reporting tools focusing on endangered and invasive species with datasets of extensive records of endangered and invasive plants, animals, insects, and treatment methods/results. This system, managed by Oregon Biodiversity Information Center (ORBIC), makes the sharing of knowledge easier and is accessible through a digital access agreement managed in partnership with IIP.
Eleanor Gaines, Director of Oregon Biodiversity Information Center said, “Institute for Natural Resources (INR) works with IIP to manage subscriptions to our sensitive species database. Working with IIP has been easy and efficient for INR; they make sure partners are adhering to our data use guidelines. Once a partner agency has re-subscribed, IIP lets INR staff know, and we send the data. This allows us to focus our efforts on maintaining and updating the database.”
“Non-exclusive licensing has a large impact just by virtue of having its reach outside of the university,” Alexander said. “The dissemination of programs and materials is a primary benefit.”
If you have a project or program that you think may be suitable for non-exclusive licensing, contact Ash Alexander at PSU's Office of Innovation and Intellectual Property.