CVR - Coronavirus Vaccines R&D Roadmap

Milestone
5.2.b

Patent and licensure access

In progress

Support global, regional, and national capacity building for licensing negotiations and intellectual property to researchers, purchasers, and developers who may not have the resources, training, or expertise to effectively achieve access to patented technologies.

Progress Highlights

The Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM) is a global nonprofit organization that supports technology transfer and IP management in universities, research institutions, and industry. AUTM provides resources for scientists, technology transfer professionals, and entrepreneurs seeking to navigate licensing negotiations, patent strategies, and commercialization of innovations.

The WHO-MPP mRNA Technology Transfer Hub has conducted training and capacity building in over 15 LMICs on legal and technical aspects of licensing and intellectual property management. The UN-backed Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) has been active in negotiating and managing voluntary licenses on behalf of the global health community. In recent years, their mandate has expanded to COVID-19 to reduce the burden on generic vaccine manufacturers and patent holders. 

In 2023, the WHO COVID-19 Technology Access Pool (C-TAP), a multi-stakeholder initiative to share IP, knowledge, and innovations, announced three new licensing agreements secured through the MPP.

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has partnered with the Center for International Intellectual Property Studies (CEIPI) and the Instituto Nacional da Propriedade Industrial (INPI; Brazil) to host a recurring advanced course on IP technology transfer and licensing for scientists and tech managers, including those from LMICs.

Mulumba 2025 describes how the African Union’s Partnership for African Vaccine Manufacturing (PAVM) is coupling technical assistance with a dedicated financing mechanism (the African Vaccine Manufacturing Accelerator) to support local companies in navigating IP and scaling production.

UNITAID announced $24 million in funding in December 2023 to facilitate technology development by assisting in the reduction of barriers caused by intellectual property rights, such as through TRIPS agreement flexibilities.