Briefing note on access-oriented technology licensing

Overview

As outlined in WHO’s Global Strategy and Plan of Action on Public Health, Innovation and Intellectual Property, and in UNDP’s HIV and Health Strategy (2022– 2025), ensuring access to health technologies calls for integrated, equitable solutions, including licensing approaches to meet urgent public health needs.

Technology licensing is a common feature of the research and development (R&D), production and distribution landscape in the health sector. Technology licences provide the legal framework pursuant to which intellectual property (IP) associated with technology (e.g. patents and trade secrets) is shared or transferred between parties. Such licences often address additional subject matter, such as obligations regarding regulatory compliance and technical assistance. IP that identifies products by brand name (i.e. trademarks) may also be addressed in a licence agreement. Technology licensing facilitates innovation through the sharing of discoveries and their further development, and it enables the transition from innovation to the production of health products such as therapeutics and vaccines. The sharing enabled by licensing is often referred to as ‘technology transfer’