Presentation (CTI)

OBJECTIVES: In the early days of the global pandemic, the US Association of University Technology Managers urged universities to adopt time-limited, non-exclusive, and royalty-free licenses to support rapid pandemic response. Although all authorised vaccines involve at least one university-held patent, previous studies found that minimal Intellectual Property (IP) measures were implemented by academic Technology Transfer offices (TTOs) to guarantee universal diffusion of publicly-funded critical health technologies. In this study, we aim to (i) gain insight into how scientists-inventors and TTO directors directly involved in Covid-19 vaccine invention, patenting, and licensing perceive and manage emerging Global Access IP strategies: in pandemics and in peacetime; (ii) map criteria for inclusion of technologies and countries; and (iii) assess the perceived role of conditional governmental and philanthropic funding.
METHODS: We conducted a thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews with a purposively-selected sample of high-profile scientists and TTO directors (n=7 as of June 2025). We distinguish between vaccine Originators (patent-owners) and Developers (institutions developing or testing the final product), and focus on the former. Informants were identified from a small pool, based on published research and the Medicines Patent Pool’s VaxPal database.
RESULTS: Informants were affiliated with top universities in Europe, the UK, and the US (n=5), national research labs (n=1), and public-private partnerships (n=1). Most were male (n=5), heading their own research units; two had established vaccine-focused spin-offs. Valorisation strategies vary widely across EU, UK, and North American public-sector patent-holders, before and during the pandemic. Some European TTOs tend to monetise inventions by quickly selling rather than licensing out their IP rights soon after being granted a patent to either mature spin-offs or incumbents.
CONCLUSIONS: Uptake of IP and access provisions is shaped by short-term commercial decision-making, institutional incentives, and funder conditions. We discuss key effective IP strategies adopted by universities that pertain to ongoing pandemic preparedness debates.