CERN’s Technology Transfer Office offers technology transfer opportunities in line with the principles of the Organisation.

Collaborative R&D

CERN considers entering in collaborative R&D when:

• a CERN technology is required to execute the collaborative R&D:
• the resources and key personnel required from CERN are available for the duration of the collaborative R&D;
• the ownership of the pre-existing technology is clearly established.

Contract Research

CERN considers executing contract research when the following conditions are met:

• a CERN technology is required to execute the contract research;
• the resources and key personnel required from CERN are available for the duration of the contract research;
• no commercial entity in the Member States possesses the required technology to execute the contract research;
• no existing limitations (exclusive license, limitations imposed by the manufacturer of the technology) prevent CERN from executing the contract research.

Service and Consultancy

CERN considers executing a service when the following conditions are met:

• the service requires CERN specific equipment or facility not readily available on the market in the Member States;
• the resources and key personnel required from CERN are available for the duration of the service;
• it is believed at the outset of the execution of the service that no new technology will be generated (in the contrary, a contract research should be considered).

CERN considers executing a consultancy when the following conditions are met:

• the consultancy requires expertise available at CERN;
• no commercial entity in the Member States possesses the required expertise to provide the consultancy;
• the resources and key personnel required from CERN are available for the duration of the consultancy;

Licensing

As a general rule, the conditions under which CERN makes available its technologies to third parties shall be defined in a written license agreement. This is the case even where no financial compensation is sought.

CERN has no vocation for being a technology manufacturer. However, in cases where a licensed CERN technology includes a tangible product or component (e.g. ASIC, hardware component) that is only manufactured by or for CERN, the license agreement may exceptionally include the supply of such products. In any case CERN actively seeks for capable commercial partners to manufacture such products under dedicated production licenses.

The license agreement may in addition include technical support covering know-how transfer and/or expert advice for the implementation of the CERN technology. Such support is however subject to the availability of the CERN experts.

Exclusive licenses are considered if:

• significant investments are required to bring the technology to the market and the exclusivity is needed to protect the licensee’s investments and/or are required by inventors,
• the technology is the result of a contract research or collaborative R&D executed by CERN and fully funded by the industrial partner.

Spin-off

CERN encourages the creation of spin-off companies willing to commercially exploit its technologies.
CERN offers support in the fields of its technical competence and the use of its equipment and infrastructure to spin-off companies, always subject to, and within, the limits and legal framework related to its international status.

Support offered to spin-off companies is subject to the availability of resources and is regulated by a dedicated agreement defining specific conditions for the support and access to facilities, services, and material as may be required. The access to CERN technologies is normally regulated by a dedicated license agreement.