Increasing the Role of Universities in the Humanitarian Licensing of Pharmaceuticals

The Issue in Brief

University research plays a key role in developing the world’s most important medicines and vaccines, and universities can help in the struggle to bring treatment to those suffering in the developing world. Under the supervision of O’Neill faculty and staff, two third-year law students (Beirne Roose-Snyder and Megan Doyle) are engaged in a research and advocacy project to effectuate a change in the university’s licensing policy.

The project’s goal is to help Georgetown become the first university to fully embrace technology transfer policies that they believe will facilitate access to essential medicines in developing countries. The students propose to establish a standing committee of professors and Georgetown community members who will assess new licenses for potential application in developing countries and recommend carefully tailored humanitarian licensing language.

O’Neill staff have met with Claudia Stewart (new head of the Georgetown Office of Technology Transfer) and her senior staff who are extremely supportive of this endeavor.