Explore how your research can have a greater impact on society.
The Intellectual Property Office leads the Lab’s efforts to bring your science solutions to the world through the following services:
Technology transfer
We receive Records of Invention and Software Disclosures, and work with you to evaluate their potential for patents and copyrights.
Our attorneys work with you to draft and prosecute patents for inventions and to secure copyrights for software and schematics.
We communicate your latest innovations with industry to encourage their licensing. We negotiate licenses on your behalf, and distribute royalties to you and the Lab community. Read this FAQ.
Note about software licenses: All new software needs to be disclosed except for minor bug fixes or error corrections to (i) previously disclosed software or (ii) third party open source software. For developers of open source software, the University of California provides guidelines and tools and a list of acceptable open source software licenses.
NDAs and MTAs
We support your non-disclosure and material transfer agreement (NDA and MTA) needs.
Training and Funding Opportunities
We run Berkeley Lab’s Innovation Corps (BLIC), which works with the Haas School of Business, UCB, and partners to present training courses, expert speakers, and networking opportunities to the Lab’s entrepreneurial researchers.
We also share funding opportunities to help commercialize your research and inventions.
Research Partnerships
For inquiries related to forming research partnerships between the Lab and external organizations, contact the Lab’s Strategic Partnerships Office at spo@lbl.gov.
Conflict of interest in licensing policies
Read Berkeley Lab’s Conflict of Interest in Licensing policies.
Publication and presentation review for inventions
Authors and presenters must review their papers, presentations, or any other external communications for descriptions of potential inventions, and submit records of invention for these potential inventions to the Intellectual Property Office, prior to release or publication/presentation. Read the guidelines.