UBC

In July 2007, UBC became the first university in Canada to develop a global access strategy to maximize the societal impact of its technologies, driven by the local UAEM chapter there. In its Global Access Principles, UBC asserts that it will “promote global access by entering into public/private partnerships to develop new technologies to benefit the developing world; endeavour to ensure that under privileged populations have at-cost access to UBC research innovations through negotiated global access terms whenever appropriate.” Societal impact – including improving human and veterinary health, supporting biodiversity, and protecting the environment – has become a key metric at UBC for measuring the success of its technology transfer activities.

UBC implemented the global access principles with a licensing deal with iCo Therapeutics Inc. to develop a new oral formulation of amphotericin B for the treatment of leishmaniasis and disseminated fungal infections. The commercialization agreement ensures that the technology will be accessible and affordable in the developing world.

Another success surrounds UBC research on how the immune system fights infections, particularly with multi-drug-resistant bacteria, funded by a Grand Challenge in Global Health grant from the NIH and Gates Foundation. Pre-defined global access strategies will apply to any fruits of this research.

See UBC site for more details.