TU Berlin Licenses Energy Conversion Patent

The Technical University of Berlin and its partner ipal have closed a €500,000 (about $652,000) deal with a key global semiconductor company for use of the university’s energy conversion patent.

The patent allows a significant increase in the energy conversion efficiency of photonic components.

Ipal, the exclusive partner for technology transfer and patent licensing and sale for Berlin’s universities and technical colleges, negotiated the deal. Patent inventors receive a portion of the revenue generated by the transaction, according to German law on employee inventions.

The patent is from the lab of Dr. Dieter Bimberg, head of the Center for Nanophotonics and the Institute for Solid State Physics at TU Berlin. His multidisciplinary team set records in data transfer rates with photonic devices based on the latest accomplishments in nanotechnology. The team and its partners recently received the Green Photonics Award for their energy-efficient VCSELs for “green” data and computer communication at Photonics West 2012 in San Francisco. (See: SPIE Presents Green Photonics Awards at Photonics West).

“This kind of transfer of university know-how is only possible with professional support and execution,” Bimberg said. Inventions from TU Berlin are evaluated, patented and marketed by ipal.

“Big deals with industry are only possible when all stakeholders — inventors, university and technology transfer agency — work together for the same goals,” said Dr. Dirk Dantz, managing director of ipal.

“Revenue of this magnitude for technologies from universities is significant and is not the general rule,” said Dr. Kirk Haselton, licensing manager at ipal and lead negotiator for ipal and TU Berlin. Statistics from the US organization AUTM show that only about 150 inventors from US universities in 2010 generated revenues greater than $1 million.

For more information, visit: www.ipal.de