Description
Department Summary
The Innovation and Commercialization unit within the Division of Research & Innovation, empowers researchers to transform discoveries into products, services, and companies. The team provides university researchers with services to support navigating the intellectual property and patent processes, development of licensing agreements with strategic industry partners, mentorship in creating startups and pursuing entrepreneurship, and administering commercialization education programs that help forge paths from academic innovation to real-world application.
Position Overview
The Licensing & Contracts Administrator position supports operations across the Innovation & Commercialization and Research Contracting units, within the Division of Research & Innovation, to provide legal expertise and execution of contracts involving intellectual property, research-related agreements, and industry partnerships. Position duties include: executing research contracts with intellectual property agreements and licensing technology contracts; developing guidance for the protection of intellectual property; providing expertise in revenue generation avenues for UNT and inventors; developing startup companies; and executing contracts for engagement between university researchers and external partners in the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem (e.g. space lease agreements).
Job Duties
- Develops and executes legal contracts for Intellectual Property Agreements, including: Invention Disclosure Agreements to document and assign rights for inventions created by UNT personnel; License Agreements to execute the core agreement terms that grants companies the right to develop, market, and sell intellectual property owned by UNT (patents, software, designs) in exchange for fees/royalties; Option Agreements to grant a company an exclusive, time-limited right to evaluate an invention before committing itself to a full license; and Assignment Agreements to transfer ownership of IP from one party to another.
- Develops and executes legal contracts for Research-Related Agreements, including: Material Transfer Agreements (MTAs) governing the exchange of tangible research materials (e.g., cells, antibodies, software) between institutions or companies for research purposes; Data Transfer Agreements (DTAs/DUAs) to manage the sharing of research data between entities; Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) / Confidential Disclosure Agreements (CDAs) to provide legal protection to allow potential partners to review confidential IP information about an invention without revealing it publicly; Employee/Student IP Agreements defining ownership and revenue-sharing terms for IP created by UNT personnel; Inter-Institutional Agreements (IIAs) managing the joint ownership of IP when multiple institutions are involved; and Reviewing and negotiating IP terms for sponsored research agreements and grant awards that may include rights resulting in intellectual property. Collaborates with Grants & Contracts Administration unit staff in the Research Contracting and Pre-Award teams.
- Develops and executes legal contracts for enterprise engagement between Innovation & Commercialization and external entities, including but not limited to: guidance and contract language for University and Industry Partnerships, and space agreements for startups and other entrepreneurial activities at the UNT-Denton and UNT at Frisco campuses. Position also serves a liaison between the Division of Research and Innovation and the UNT System Office of General Counsel.
- Other duties as assigned to support operations within the Innovation and Commercialization, and the Grants & Contracts Administration-Research Contracting units.
EEO Statement
The University of North Texas System is firmly committed to equal opportunity and does not permit –and takes actions to prevent – discrimination, harassment (including sexual violence, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking), and retaliation on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, genetic information, or veteran status in its application, employment practices, and facilities; nor permits race, color, national origin, religion, age, disability, veteran status, or sex discrimination and harassment in its admissions processes, and educational programs and activities. UNT System Administration promptly investigates complaints of discrimination, harassment, and related retaliation and takes remedial action when appropriate. System Administration also takes actions to prevent retaliation against individuals who oppose any form of harassment or discriminatory practice, file a charge or report, or testify, assist, or participate in a related investigation or proceeding.
Requirements
Minimum Qualifications
Bachelor's degree in science, technology, engineering, law, or a related field, and a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree, with three years of experience in technology transfer, intellectual property law, research commercialization, or startup companies; or any equivalent combination of education, training, and experience.
