Licencing

The involvement of the Australian External Licensing team ensures that your proposal will be reviewed as early as possible. MSD provides direct links to the key decision-makers within the company. to ensure that your proposal gets to the appropriate review committee and stands apart from the 100+ proposals our parent company receives each week.

The RLCs meet regularly to consider proposals from around the world. RLCs are generally able to provide a rapid preliminary assessment and response, typically providing a definitive answer on whether there is interest in a particular research project within 6-8 weeks.

The process is interactive. If the company. is interested but unable to come to a decision on the contents of the proposal before us, we will come back and to you and request further information or a chance to re-review the proposal when further data are to hand.

What Do We Need for the Initial RLC Review?

• A brief background on your findings or invention
• A succinct account of your work and its relevance to drug discovery, pharmaceutical technology or drug delivery
• An account of its patent status
• A statement of the type of collaboration you are seeking with MSD., including a budget if applicable
• Copies of any relevant publications
• An overview of competing groups and technology in your area, emphasising the competitive advantage of your approach

After the Initial RLC Review

If there is mutual interest in moving forward with discussions, we can be flexible in finding the best way to work together, taking into account the type of proposal and needs of both parties. After a confidentiality agreement is signed and further information reviewed, an Evaluation Agreement or Material Transfer Agreement may be the next step. After this point, scientific discussions would continue and commercial discussions would begin in parallel.

If there is no mutual interest in continuing further discussion, the External Licensing group in Sydney will provide you with detailed feedback on the outcome decision.

Licensing contact for Australia & New Zealand:

Phil Kearney, PhD, MBA

Director Licensing and External Research

MSD

Email address: phil.kearney@merck.com