2021-2022 University technology transfer during the COVID-19 pandemic
Dear University of Reading,
This is a new request that is related to an FOI request we sent in October 2020 and in October 2021. These previous requests were titled: "Licensing and patenting practices of COVID-19 technologies" and "2020-2021 University technology transfer during the COVID-19 pandemic". This new request below specifically asks for responses pertaining to the time period September 2021-October 2022, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, unless specified otherwise. Please can you make sure you reply to all 9 questions of the request, and clarify where it is not possible for you to release information citing a specific clause of the Freedom Of Information Act (2000).
For the purpose of clarity, please adhere to the following definitions when answering these questions:
Low and middle income country: A country that is defined as ‘low’, ‘lower-middle’ and ‘upper-middle’ income by the World Bank for the year 2018. Income status defined by GNI per capita.
Source: World bank, available online [https://tinyurl.com/y5dwc2qv]
A patent grants an inventor the exclusive rights to his or her invention. A patent holder can stop other people from selling, manufacturing, producing, or using the invention for a certain period of time.
Source: Upcouncil, available online [https://www.upcounsel.com/what-is-a-pate...
Licence: Permission for the licensee to use the intellectual property rights
Source: TaylorWessing, available online [https://www.taylorwessing.com/download/a...
Exclusive Licence: A licence that allows only the named licensee to exploit the relevant IP rights, the licensor is also excluded from exploiting these IP rights.
Non-Exclusive Licence: A licence that grants any number of licensees to exploit the IP.
Source: TaylorWessing, available online [https://www.taylorwessing.com/synapse/co...
Health Technology: ‘Health technology as defined by the WHO: “A health technology is the application of organized knowledge and skills in the form of devices, medicines, vaccines, procedures and systems developed to solve a health problem and improve quality of lives.’
Source: WHO, available online [https://www.who.int/health-technology-as...
START FOI request:
Q1. Can you release your internal strategy, policy, or any kind of public statement regarding the technology transfer (e.g. licensing, patenting) of COVID-19 related health technologies? Has anything changed since September 2021?
Q2. Does the institution have a formal policy on licensing and patenting of health technologies? If yes, please provide a link or PDF to the relevant policy document. Has anything changed since September 2021?
Q3. Has the university considered updating their strategy regarding the licensing and patenting of health technologies since September 2021 in light of the pandemic?
Q4. Please provide an Excel spreadsheet with headings as displayed below with all the COVID-19 related health technologies LICENSED by the university AND specify which countries they were licensed in AND specify whether they are exclusive or non-exclusive licenses (time period: September 2021-October 2022).
Health Technology Licensed | Country of Licensing | Type of License (Exclusive or Non-Exclusive)
Q5. Please provide a list of patents granted to your organization for any COVID-19 related health technologies listed by patent family, indicating countries/regions in which the patent has been granted (time period: September 2021-October 2022).
Q6. Does the institution have any plans on signing up to the Open-COVID pledge (https://opencovidpledge.org/) or any similar initiative that seeks to minimise intellectual property rights barriers during the COVID-19 pandemic (since January 2020)? If yes, please specify. If the university has engaged in specific discussions with Open-COVID pledge, please provide files related to these meetings if they took place since September 2021.
Q7. Has the institution considered the licensing of COVID-19 related health technologies to the Covid Technology Access Pool (C-TAP) or the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) during the pandemic (since January 2020)? If yes, please specify. If the university has engaged in specific discussions with either C-TAP and/or MPP please provide files related to these meetings if they took place since September 2021.
Q8. Has the institution signed on to the AUTM COVID-19 Licensing Guidelines (since January 2020)? If yes, please specify. If the university has engaged in specific discussions with AUTM on these guidelines please provide files related to these meetings if they took place since September 2021.
Q9. Has the institution engaged with the WHO technology transfer hub during the pandemic (since January 2020)? If yes, please specify. If the university has engaged in specific discussions with the WHO technology transfer hub please provide files related to these meetings if they took place since September 2021.
Q10. Has the institution shared their best practices on the technology transfer of COVID-19 health technologies with other institutions (since January 2020)? If yes, please specify. If the university has engaged in specific discussions with other universities on COVID-19 health technologies in the context of technology transfer, please provide files related to these meetings if they took place since September 2021.
END FOI request.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me by email.
Yours faithfully,
Ayolola Eni-Olotu
Dear Ayolola Eni-Olutu
This is to acknowledge receipt of your request for information below and to let you know it is being processed.
We'll get back to you as soon as we can, but in any case within 20 working days from 21/10/2022.
Please quote the reference number, IMPS#03432, in any future correspondence, thank you.
Yours sincerely,
Sinead Latham
Information Management & Policy Services (IMPS), University of Reading, Whiteknights, Reading, RG6 6AH
t: +44 (0)118 378 8981 www.reading.ac.uk/foia
Dear Ayolola Eni-Olotu,
We have completed the compilation of information in response to your
request.
We can confirm that we do hold some information of the description
specified in your request. Our responses are given below each limb of your
request.
********************* FOI REQUEST *****************
Please note - we have liaised with key figures/depts at the University of
Reading to compile our responses below. However, please be advised that
there may be other licenses (which appear in many of our agreements)
related to ‘technologies’ which might theoretically be used in relation to
Covid-19. We are unable to exhaustively contact all departments and
schools in this regard, which would be exempted on cost grounds under
Section 12 of the FOIA 2000, currently set at £450 (or 18 hours work) by
virtue of the [1]Freedom of Information and Data Protection (Appropriate
Limit and Fees) Regulations 2004:
However, to be as helpful as possible, we have consulted those teams most
likely to hold this information, and have responded based on this, below.
Q1. Can you release your internal strategy, policy, or any kind of public
statement regarding the technology transfer (e.g. licensing, patenting) of
COVID-19 related health technologies? Has anything changed since September
2021?
No information held. The University does not hold an “internal strategy,
policy, or any kind of public statement regarding the technology transfer
(e.g. licensing, patenting) of COVID-19 related health technologies”.
Q2. Does the institution have a formal policy on licensing and patenting
of health technologies? If yes, please provide a link or PDF to the
relevant policy document. Has anything changed since September 2021?
No
Q3. Has the university considered updating their strategy regarding the
licensing and patenting of health technologies since September 2021 in
light of the pandemic?
No information held. Under FOIA we are not required to provide opinions or
comments or answer speculative questions where the information requested
is not clearly described and/or is neither held nor already recorded. We
have not located any recorded information that would address this
question.
Q4. Please provide an Excel spreadsheet with headings as displayed below
with all the COVID-19 related health technologies LICENSED by the
university AND specify which countries they were licensed in AND specify
whether they are exclusive or non-exclusive licenses (time period:
September 2021-October 2022).
Health Technology Licensed | Country of Licensing | Type of License
(Exclusive or Non-Exclusive)
No information held. There has not been any ‘COVID-19 related health
technologies LICENSED by the university’.
Q5. Please provide a list of patents granted to your organization for any
COVID-19 related health technologies listed by patent family, indicating
countries/regions in which the patent has been granted (time period:
September 2021-October 2022).
No information held. There has not been any ‘patents granted to [the
university] for any COVID-19 related health technologies’.
Q6. Does the institution have any plans on signing up to the Open-COVID
pledge
(https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlo...)
or any similar initiative that seeks to minimise intellectual property
rights barriers during the COVID-19 pandemic (since January 2020)? If yes,
please specify. If the university has engaged in specific discussions with
Open-COVID pledge, please provide files related to these meetings if they
took place since September 2021.
No information held. Under FOIA we are not required to provide opinions or
comments or answer speculative questions where the information requested
is not clearly described and/or is neither held nor already recorded. We
have not located any recorded information that would address this
question.
Q7. Has the institution considered the licensing of COVID-19 related
health technologies to the Covid Technology Access Pool (C-TAP) or the
Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) during the pandemic (since January 2020)? If
yes, please specify. If the university has engaged in specific discussions
with either C-TAP and/or MPP please provide files related to these
meetings if they took place since September 2021.
No information held. Under FOIA we are not required to provide opinions or
comments or answer speculative questions where the information requested
is not clearly described and/or is neither held nor already recorded. We
have not located any recorded information that would address this
question.
Q8. Has the institution signed on to the AUTM COVID-19 Licensing
Guidelines (since January 2020)? If yes, please specify. If the university
has engaged in specific discussions with AUTM on these guidelines please
provide files related to these meetings if they took place since September
2021.
No.
Q9. Has the institution engaged with the WHO technology transfer hub
during the pandemic (since January 2020)? If yes, please specify. If the
university has engaged in specific discussions with the WHO technology
transfer hub please provide files related to these meetings if they took
place since September 2021.
No.
Q10. Has the institution shared their best practices on the technology
transfer of COVID-19 health technologies with other institutions (since
January 2020)? If yes, please specify. If the university has engaged in
specific discussions with other universities on COVID-19 health
technologies in the context of technology transfer, please provide files
related to these meetings if they took place since September 2021.
No.
**************** END *******************
We are required to include details of our complaints procedures, including
your rights to apply to the Information Commissioner. The procedure is
detailed in our Freedom of Information and Environmental Information
Regulations policy on the web at
[2]www.reading.ac.uk/freedom-of-information-policy
If we are unable to resolve any complaint, you can complain to the
Information Commissioner, the independent body who oversees the access to
information regimes: [3]https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/
Yours sincerely,
Sinead Latham
Information Compliance Officer
Information Management & Policy Services (IMPS), University of Reading,
Whiteknights, Reading, RG6 6AH
[4][University of Reading request email] t: +44 (0)118 378 8981
[5]www.reading.ac.uk/foia
We work to defend the right to FOI for everyone
Help us protect your right to hold public authorities to account. Donate and support our work.
Donate Now