For Academic Affiliates - Universities
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) values highly its affiliations with academic medical centers and the benefits that accrue from shared, dually VA and university appointed personnel (DAP). Many of these are investigators have obligations to both institutions to disclose an invention should a new discovery or intellectual property (IP) develop. Close cooperation between each VA medical center (VAMC) and affiliate ensures that PI, university, and VA interests are appropriately protected and managed.
To help manage intellectual property developed by DAPs, VA has entered into Cooperative Technology Administration Agreements (CTAAs) with most of its academic affiliates. These allow efficient coordination of existing and future inventions where both VA and the university have a joint ownership right. Specifically, CTAAs define terms, outline handling of intellectual property and detail distribution of royalties.
When a research project is supported by a grant (federal or private) and both parties exert an ownership, CTAAs provide that the university takes a lead on patenting, marketing and licensing any IP that may result. However, when a Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADA) - which is similar to a sponsored research agreement (or in some cases a clinical trial agreement) - is the governing document, VA must take the lead on patenting, marketing, and licensing because in such agreements the government grants the collaborator certain options to license any new discoveries or IP.
VA is committed to protecting VA, PI and university interests in DAP IP and maximizing the benefits of transferring the technology to the private sector. As a result, whether VA or the university takes the lead, and whether the governing document is a grant, CRADA, or Clinical Trial Agreement (CTA) , there is no diminishment of benefits.
Where there is no CTAA, the VAMC and university must establish an alternative means of ensuring that VA, university and PI interests are protected and managed appropriately. This may require the VA and the university to review each other's sponsored research agreements to avoid conflicts. Information and links to resources of particular interest to academic affiliates are provided on this page, but please browse other CRADA pages on this web site, particularly the page containing CRADA Resources.