IP management policy: a donor's perspective.

This chapter describes how the Wellcome Trust, a major charitable funder of biomedical research, manages intellectual property arising from Wellcome-sponsored research. The trust recognizes that the development of new health technologies requires the enlightened management of intellectual property through partnerships involving funders, scientists, institutions, and companies. This chapter explains how the charitable mission of the trust influences its decision-making process. The chapter includes case studies to illustrate the concerns of the trust and to identify key procedures. HANDBOOK OF BEST PRACTICES | The mission of the trust is to foster and promote research to improve human and animal health (see Box 1 for a statement of the organization’s mission and general policy). Funding by the trust supports a wide range of work in the biomedical arena, including basic science, technology transfer, medical humanities, and public engagement with science. In order to support scientific research of the highest caliber, grant schemes include not only career-based schemes for scientists, from Ph.D. studentships to fellowships, but project and program grants, equipment grants, and infrastructure initiatives. The majority of trust funding goes to researchers in U.K. academic institutions, but the trust has also always supported research for tropical diseases, particularly in developing countries. Support schemes are available for U.K. researchers who wish to carry out tropical medicine research in the developing world, as well as for researchers, based in developing world institutions, who are conducting research in public health or infectious diseases. 2. Ip MAnAGEMEnT When considering IP (intellectual property) management, the trust’s key aims are (1) to ensure that intellectual property arising from the research that it funds is prudently used to CHAPTER 5.2 1. THE WELLCoME TRuST The Wellcome Trust is an independent, U.K.based biomedical research charity. In the year 2006–2007, the trust will invest nearly US$1 billion in biomedical research, both in the United Kingdom and internationally. The Wellcome Trust was established in 1936 after the death of Sir Henry Wellcome. In his will, Sir Henry vested the entire share capital of a drug company he founded, The Wellcome Foundation, into the Wellcome Trust. The Wellcome drug company was absorbed, by a series of mergers, into GlaxoSmithKline, and, in the process, the trust diversified its investment portfolio. The trust no longer has a significant shareholding in GlaxoSmithKline but operates entirely independently of the drug company. Ballantyne Z and D Nelki. 2007. IP Management Policy: A Donor’s Perspective. In Intellectual Property Management in Health and Agricultural Innovation: A Handbook of Best Practices (eds. A Krattiger, RT Mahoney, L Nelsen, et al.). MIHR: Oxford, U.K., and PIPRA: Davis, U.S.A. Available online at www.ipHandbook.org. © 2007. Z Ballantyne and D Nelki. Sharing the Art of IP Management: Photocopying and distribution through the Internet for noncommercial purposes is permitted and encouraged. IP Management Policy: A Donor’s Perspective Zoe ballanTyne, Legal and Operations Adviser, the Wellcome Trust, U.K. daniel nelKi, Head of Legal and Operations, the Wellcome Trust, U.K.