Each year, hundreds of new inventions are made in NIH and FDA laboratories. The Office of Technology Transfer (OTT) transfers these inventions – through licenses – to the private sector for further research and development and eventual commercialization. Often, companies require patent protection to justify the expenditure of resources needed to fully develop a particular invention. Where necessary to ensure the rapid and effective development of a particular invention, OTT seeks intellectual property protection (both domestic and foreign) on NIH and FDA inventions.