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PIPRA’s Winter 2007 quarter newsletter:
Click to Download- Newsletter-Issue 7-Winter 2007

HOME PURPOSE BACKGROUND ACTIVITIES PARTICIPANTS PUBLICATIONS CONTACT US PIPRA PORTFOLIO JOB OPPORTUNITIES

PIPRA and MIHR announce the release of our new IP Handbook at BIO 2007 in Boston on May 6. View the press release. For more information on the IP Handbook or to place an order, visit www.IPhandbook.org

The beta version of the PIPRA agricultural IP database is now on-line for public access.  Please visit it at: http://pipra.m-cam.com.  Over 6600 patents and patent applications from 45 different countries are now searchable by many fields, including licensing status.  The data represent the agricultural portfolio of 27 universities and non-profit research institutions.

PIPRA and McGill University’s Centre for Intellectual Property Policy have signed an MOU and look forward to future work together. In addition to our members, PIPRA has a broad network of affiliated institutions that provide a strong base for collaborative activities.

To download PIPRA’s inter-institutional Memorandum of Understanding click here.

Humanitarian Use Reservation of Rights Licensing Language

PIPRA's members and our pro bono attorneys at Morrison and Foerster, have collaboratively developed licensing language for a humanitarian use reservation of rights. We welcome comments and queries regarding the language and encourage its widespread adoption among technology transfer professionals.

Membership Expanded to 45 Universities and Non-Profit Institutions in 13 countries

PIPRA's membership continues to grow, both within the United States, and internationally. A full list of PIPRA members and our Memorandum of Understanding can be found on the participants page. PIPRA membership is open to universities and non-profit research institutions. For more information on joining PIPRA, please contact Sara Boettiger by phone (530-754-6725) or email.

Development of Plant Transformation Vector with Maximal FTO

PIPRA is facilitating the design, construction, and testing of a plant transformation vector with maximal freedom-to-operate. PIPRA staff, a working group of leading plant transformation scientists, and PIPRA's pro bono attorneys are working together to create a vector with as many components as possible from the public domain or owned by PIPRA members with known licensing terms. The vector will be distributed on a royalty-free basis for humanitarian uses.

Current PIPRA Job Openings

Intellectual Property Analyst

The Public Intellectual Property Resource for Agriculture (PIPRA) is a grant-supported program that coordinates agricultural intellectual property (IP) management across 45 member institutions to enable research projects that address specialty crops and/or humanitarian projects in developing countries.  PIPRA manages a comprehensive patent database comprising intellectual property from all member institutions, creates and delivers educational programs to support intellectual property management capacity building in developing countries, conducts legal research to assess the freedom to operate around specific patented agricultural technologies and implements collaborative strategies to manage pools of intellectual property belonging to multiple institutional owners.

There are four functional units within PIPRA:  IP Information Services and Analysis, Education and Outreach, Biotechnology Resources, and Intellectual Property management.  This position (IP Analyst) falls within the IP Information Services and Analysis unit, and was created to provide analytical services in support of legal research on various projects undertaken by this unit. 

Under the direction of the unit director, this position independently works with internal staff and external organizations to ensure that PIPRA fulfills all requested contractual services in a timely manner and provides quality analytical data.

Job Description: The IP Analyst is responsible for administrating the annual service agreement between PIPRA and the California Department of Food and Agriculture, Pierce’s Disease/Glassy-winged Sharpshooter Board.   In addition, this position is responsible for completing other IP analyses related to the activities within PIPRA.  The IP Analyst develops strategic IP management strategies for the CDFA PD/GWSS Board to ensure that the board’s interests and research investments are best served.  Analyses to be conducted will typically require cross-disciplinary awareness of law, science, public policy, and information technology.  The IP Analyst will be responsible for developing a web-based application which will support consortia evaluations by drawing data from a centralized database and generating informative impact reports.  The IP analyst independently sets priorities, milestones, and presents deliverables in written and/or oral format.  The IP Analyst also provides analytical support for legal IP freedom-to-operate opinions of specific technologies.  Tasks typically include researching IP rights landscapes, auditing IP and technical aspects of specific technologies, assessing impact and markets.  The IP Analyst will present results in written and/or oral format.

Time: 40 hours per week 

Ideal candidates will meet the following qualifications:

Education:  University degree is required- a degree in biological sciences is strongly preferred.  Patent agent certification or understanding of legal IP issues is highly desired.

Skills: 

  • Demonstrated experience in project management and research, especially as it relates to IP law, science, or policy.
  • Demonstrated ability to work independently.
  • Ability to professionally interact with representatives of external organizations to fulfill requests and provide support.
  • Ability to design and supervise implementation of a variety of projects related to IP management.
  • Demonstrated experience in oral and written communications with a broad section of professionals in the legal, academic, and business communities.
  • Ability to support development of institutional strategies addressing complex issues involving IP law or policy.
  • Demonstrated skills in assessing priorities and strong organizational skills to effectively work on multiple projects simultaneously.
  • Demonstrated skill in data management and analysis.
  • Familiarity with IP or scientific literature databases.
  • Excellent writing and speaking skills.
  • Ability to work effectively individually and as part of a team.
  • Professional skills, tact, judgment and diplomacy to achieve successful outcomes in sensitive or difficult interactions.
  • Computer skills in database and web applications development and management.

This position offers a competitive salary determined by the successful candidate's experience and full health benefits. Please send a statement describing your interests, detailed curriculum vitae, and 2-3 letters of references via email to Kathleen Bess, klbess@ucdavis.edu.  Review of applications will start June 1st, 2007 and continue until the position is filled.

The University of California, Davis is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.