Yissum Launches First-of-its Kind Express Licensing Campaign to Increase Academic and Industry Collaboration

JERUSALEM, Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --  Yissum, the technology transfer company of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, launched its pioneering Express Licensing Campaign at the ITTN's 5th biennial conference: Tech Transfer 4.O: Reinventing Technology Transfer. Yissum CEO and President Dr. Yaron Daniely introduced the campaign which aims to make the cutting-edge research conducted at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem more accessible to industry partners by dramatically simplifying technology licensing or acquisition.

Yissum currently dominates academic tech transfer in Israel, and in 2017 was responsible for nearly half of all tech transfer licensing agreements signed by universities as well as new company formations. The Express Licensing Campaign is yet another channel initiated by Yissum to broaden industry reach into Intellectual Property (IP) born out of translational academic research, by offering close to 70 technologies alongside ready-to-sign license contracts, drafted in collaboration with several leading law firms in Israel.

Dr. Daniely explained that with the Express Licensing Campaign, Yissum aims to create more transparency and clarity in the tech transfer process, making it easier for industry and entrepreneurs to identify and pursue groundbreaking innovations. "Yissum's position as a leader in technology transfer is because we believe in taking concrete steps to ensure lower barriers to commercialization in order to make academic technology available to the community," said Daniely.  "The new express licensing campaign is one example of this plan.  We are taking 20% of the available IP estate and making it easily accessible and available for partnering. This is a groundbreaking path to enhance industry collaboration, entrepreneurship, and venture creation."

Israel is a global leader in tech transfer, second only to the United States in the amount of IP revenue it generates, mainly because of the academia's extensive experience and capabilities in inventing new technologies and powering new markets and industries. A recent ranking of Reuters World's Most Innovative Universities, which identifies the top 100 international universities that excel at original research, create useful technologies, and contribute to the world's economy put Hebrew University at #79 worldwide and first in the Middle East.  

"We want to move fast and build things," said Daniely, "And to do so, we are using all the tools at our disposal ? patents, licensing, express licensing, venture funds, accelerators and education ? to serve as a bridge between cutting-edge academic research and a global community of entrepreneurs, investors, and industry organizations in need of innovative solutions and products."

Yissum recently launched a new website making it easier to find not only hundreds of technologies available for licensing, but also to search for close to 1000 experts and researchers across a wide variety of disciplines, as well as dozens of University spinouts currently seeking investments. Yissum is currently the only known tech transfer organization to organize its website around know-how and expertise, and in doing so, is significantly expanding its meaningful offerings to industry by paving the way for more partnerships and collaborative deals based on skills and knowledge.

Yissum also recently launched its 3^rd seed fund, focused on venture creation from the top nanotech research innovations from Hebrew University.  More than 20 startups were established by Yissum's funds over the last five years.  

About Yissum

Yissum is the technology transfer company of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Founded in 1964, it is the third company of its kind to be established and serves as a bridge between cutting-edge academic research and a global community of entrepreneurs, investors, and industry. Yissum's mission is to benefit society by converting extraordinary innovations and transformational technologies into commercial solutions that address our most urgent global challenges.  Yissum has registered over 10,000 patents covering 2,800 inventions; licensed over 900 technologies and has spun out more than 135 companies. Yissum's business partners span the globe and include companies such as Boston Scientific, Google, ICL, Intel, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Microsoft, Novartis and many more. For further information please visit www.yissum.co.il

Contact: Estee Yaari / Yissum / [email protected]

SOURCE Yissum