Harvard ExpressPath Licenses

ExpressPath is intended for Harvard‑affiliated startups formed primarily to develop and commercialize specific Harvard‑owned intellectual property for the public good.

Generally Eligible

• Startups founded by Harvard faculty, postdocs, graduate students, or recent alumni, with the support of the principal investigator from the lab where the technology was developed.
• Companies incorporated in the US as a C corporation and focused on commercializing specific Harvard owned IP.
• Technologies where Harvard owns or controls the relevant IP rights needed for commercialization.

May Not Be Eligible

• IP jointly owned with other institutions or sponsors.
• Traditional therapeutics/biologics or highly complex assets.
• Cases where prior sponsors or licensees hold constraining rights.
• Your regulatory or business path is unusually complex.

Not sure? Ask OTD

It is not. To keep the process fast, transparent, and fair across startups, the business terms under the Express Path are pre-set and not negotiated. Startups that need tailored terms can pursue a traditional license.

OTD will work with you to determine the appropriate category based on the primary technology and use case.  

Yes. Non‑Harvard co‑founders and investors are welcome, as long as the company otherwise meets the eligibility criteria for the ExpressPath. If you represent an established company interested in commercializing Harvard IP, please view our available technologies here and contact OTD.

Joint ownership with other universities, hospitals, companies, or sponsors may limit our ability to use an ExpressPath license. OTD will evaluate these situations case‑by‑case and propose an appropriate path. 

The ExpressPath license terms were developed in consultation with investors and benchmarked against the terms of other universities.  They are designed to be consistent with common early‑stage market practice for university startups. Individual investors may still have preferences, and in cases where material changes are requested, a traditional negotiated license may be more appropriate. 

Yes. Harvard typically retains rights for Harvard and other research institutions to use the technology for internal research, teaching, and publication, even when granting an exclusive commercial license to a startup. 

Yes, Harvard can grant an exclusive license to patents and software, providing startups with the confidence to invest in bringing new technology to market and paving the way to secure funding. In return, we ask that your startup meet diligence milestones that track real progress toward that goal. OTD can work with you to define diligence milestones that are reasonable and achievable. A financing milestone is particularly important.  Securing adequate seed funding is a clear early signal that a licensee has the resources to move a technology beyond the lab.