UCLA Technology Development Group

What UCLA Technology Development Group does

UCLA Technology Development Group (TDG) is the centralized technology transfer office for the University of California, Los Angeles, operating as a campus-wide gateway that converts UCLA research into commercial outcomes through IP protection, licensing, and startup formation. It serves three primary constituencies: UCLA researchers and innovators who disclose inventions, industry and investor counterparties that license technologies or fund UCLA-affiliated startups, and external entrepreneurs who access startup formation resources.

TDG manages a broad portfolio spanning life sciences (therapeutics, vaccines, drug delivery, diagnostics, medical imaging), physical sciences and engineering (electrical, mechanical, chemical, materials), and software technologies. Core services include invention disclosure intake, patent prosecution management, licensing negotiation (including a phased Express LOI → option → license construct for startups), startup incubation through UCLA Ventures (Bruin Founders, Startup in a Box, Pitch Gym), gap funding via the UCLA Innovation Fund, and SBIR/STTR application support. TDG also publishes a searchable technology catalog and operates a four-tier software licensing framework (TDG-Attribution-NC-ShareAlike, TDG-Attribution-NC-NoDistrib, TDG-Evaluation, BSD).

Revenue is generated through upfront license fees, annual maintenance fees, milestone payments, earned royalties on licensee product sales, patent cost reimbursement, and equity stakes in spun-out companies. Notable portfolio outcomes include Nervonik ($52.5M Series B in April 2026), Rarity PBC ($4.6M seed in October 2025 for ADA-SCID gene therapy), Cytovale (sepsis diagnostics), ExoZymes (cell-free biosynthesis), and Cleopatra Rx (menopause neuroprotective therapy). The organization is led by Amir Naiberg (Associate Vice Chancellor and CEO & President, previously 10-year CEO of Yeda Research at Weizmann Institute) with a board chaired by former USPTO Director Andrei Iancu.

Name

UCLA Technology Development Group

Legal name

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Technology Development Group

Website

https://tdg.ucla.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1919

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

UCLA Technology Development Group is the centralized technology transfer office for UCLA, managing invention disclosure, patent prosecution, licensing, and startup formation across life sciences, engineering, and software for university researchers, industry licensees, and entrepreneurial founders.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Technology Transfer Services

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology) (541715)

SIC

Patent Owners & Lessors (6794)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAHABAH

Technology Transfer & Innovation-Driven Research Universities (High Commercialization)

Education/Higher Education (Colleges & Universities)/Private Research Universities

SECONDARYEDAHAEAH

Technical Universities with Entrepreneurship & Incubation Focus

Education/Higher Education (Colleges & Universities)/Technical & Polytechnic Universities

SECONDARYEDADAKAH

Research Administration & Compliance (Sponsored Programs, IRB/REB)

Education/Education Administration, Accreditation & Policy/Institutional Governance & Administration (School/College/University Admin)

SECONDARYEDAEALAO

Research Administration & Grants Management Support (Pre/Post-Award, Compliance)

Education/Education Facilities & Support Services/Outsourced Operations & Managed Services for Education (BPO/Contracted Support)

Keywords

• Technology transfer services
• Intellectual property licensing
• University startup incubation
• Invention commercialization programs
• Industry research partnerships

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Technology Licensing Royalties: TDG generates revenue through upfront license fees, annual maintenance fees, milestone payments, earned royalties on product sales, and equity stakes in startup companies formed around UCLA technologies
2. Patent Cost Recovery: Licensees reimburse patent prosecution and maintenance expenses incurred by UCLA
3. Equity in Startups: TDG accepts equity stakes in startup companies in lieu of upfront fees, preserving startup capital for development while maintaining revenue potential through equity appreciation

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

UCLA Technology Development Group commercializes inventions and software developed by UCLA researchers through intellectual property protection, licensing to industry partners, startup formation, and sponsored research agreements. It runs the UCLA Innovation Fund and SBIR/STTR funding programs, the UCLA Ventures entrepreneur-support suite (Bruin Founders, Startup in a Box, Pitch Gym), and offers standardized software licenses for sharing research code. Revenue is generated via upfront license fees, annual maintenance fees, milestone payments, earned royalties, patent cost reimbursement, and equity stakes in spinout companies.

Product overview

UCLA Technology Development Group (TDG) is a university technology transfer organization that serves as a campus-wide gateway to innovation, research, and entrepreneurship. Rather than offering a single commercial product, TDG provides a portfolio of services and programs including the UCLA Innovation Fund for researcher funding, UCLA Ventures for startup support (with programs like Bruin Founders, Startup in a Box, and Pitch Gym), and Research & Industry Alliances for facilitating industry partnerships. TDG also manages a software licensing program offering four license types (TDG-Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike, TDG-Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDistrib, TDG-Evaluation, and BSD License) for sharing software developed at UCLA. Additionally, TDG supports startup formation, with success stories including Cleopatra Rx (women's cognitive health), ExoZymes (sustainable chemicals/fuels via cell-free biosynthesis), and Cytovale (sepsis diagnostics using cell mechanics).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• UCLA Innovation Fund Funding program providing financial support to UCLA researchers and innovators to advance the development and commercialization of university-disclosed technologies. Open to UCLA researchers and innovators working on disclosed inventions.
• SBIR/STTR Support Support program that helps UCLA-affiliated startups apply for Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) federal non-dilutive funding. Targeted at UCLA startup founders commercializing university technologies.
• UCLA Ventures Entrepreneur-support program connecting UCLA-affiliated founders with resources for company formation and growth, including the Bruin Founders cohort, Startup in a Box, and Pitch Gym. Designed for UCLA-affiliated entrepreneurs and startup founders commercializing UCLA technologies.
• Research and Industry Alliances Service that facilitates research collaborations and industry partnerships between UCLA researchers and external sponsors, covering multiple agreement types for sponsored research and technology transfer. Intended for industry sponsors and UCLA researchers initiating collaborative agreements.
• TDG Entrepreneur Hub Online portal that serves as the campus-wide gateway for UCLA researchers and innovators, including submission tools for inventions and research materials. Internal users: UCLA researchers and innovators.
• Phased Technology Licensing (Express LOI to Option to License) Negotiated licensing framework offered to licensees covering patents emanating from UCLA inventions, beginning with an Express Letter of Intent (LOI), convertible to an option agreement, then a full license, with back-loaded consideration and equity participation available for startups. For industry licensees and startup founders seeking UCLA IP rights.
• Technology Publisher Platform Searchable online platform listing UCLA-developed technologies available for licensing across therapeutics, diagnostics, engineering, physical sciences, and software. Intended for industry partners and investors browsing for licensable IP.
• TDG Software Licensing Suite (TDG-Attribution-ShareAlike, TDG-Attribution-NoDistrib, TDG-Evaluation, BSD 3-Clause) Set of four standardized software licenses for code developed at UCLA, covering non-commercial sharing with attribution and share-alike rights, non-commercial use without redistribution, a 60-day time-limited evaluation license for commercial and non-commercial parties, and the BSD 3-Clause open-source license for journal-driven code publication. Targets academic researchers and commercial parties evaluating UCLA-developed software.

Quantifiable outcome

• 285 new inventions disclosed in FY2024
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Dr. Donald B. KohncoreOthers · 29 October 2025UCLA researcher whose gene therapy research for ADA-SCID was exclusively licensed to Rarity PBC. Dr. Kohn's work represents foundational IP licensed from UCLA for commercial development.
• University College LondoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-licensor of ADA-SCID gene therapy alongside UCLA. The therapy was developed through research collaboration between UCLA and UCL.
• Nura StudiosminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAI animation platform that created UCLA TDG's first explainer video debuted at LABEST 2026.
• Heromade ProductionsminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProduction company that created UCLA TDG's Success Videos for MedTech/Physical Science and Bioscience.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• MIT Technology Licensing Office (TLO): MIT's technology transfer office handling invention disclosure, patenting, and licensing of MIT research. Operates the same TTO model as UCLA TDG with comparable portfolio breadth across biotech, software, and physical sciences.
• Yeda Research and Development Co. The technology transfer company of the Weizmann Institute of Science, where UCLA TDG's CEO Amir Naiberg previously served as CEO for ten years. Directly comparable in mission, structure, and operating approach to UCLA TDG.
• Stanford Office of Technology Licensing (OTL): Stanford's central technology transfer office, managing licensing of Stanford University inventions across life sciences, physical sciences, and engineering. Directly comparable to UCLA TDG in mandate, structure, and serving as the sole gateway to one of the world's leading research universities.
• Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF): One of the oldest and largest university-affiliated technology transfer organizations in the U.S., handling patenting and licensing for University of Wisconsin–Madison research. Compares directly with UCLA TDG in mission, structure, and scale of licensed IP portfolio.
• Johns Hopkins Technology Ventures (JHTV): Johns Hopkins University's central technology transfer organization, licensing inventions across medicine, engineering, and public health. Directly comparable in scale and biotech-heavy portfolio mix to UCLA TDG.
• Caltech Office of Technology Transfer: Caltech's technology transfer office handling patenting and licensing of inventions from Caltech and JPL research. Directly comparable to UCLA TDG as a peer Southern California research university TTO with strong physical sciences and engineering portfolios.
• Penn Center for Innovation (PCI): University of Pennsylvania's technology transfer office, handling invention disclosure, patenting, and startup formation from Penn research. Directly comparable to UCLA TDG with strong biotech and medical device pipelines.
• UC Berkeley Office of Intellectual Property & Industry Research Alliances (IPIRA): UC Berkeley's technology transfer and industry alliances office within the same University of California system as UCLA TDG. Directly comparable in governance, mission, and licensing approach.
• Columbia Technology Ventures: Columbia University's technology transfer office, managing invention disclosure, patenting, and licensing across Columbia's research output. Directly comparable in operating model to UCLA TDG and serves a similarly broad range of disciplines.

Others

• Fuentek LLC: A technology transfer consulting firm founded by TDG board member Laura Schoppe that provides IP management and commercialization strategy services to universities and research institutions. Adjacent ecosystem participant supporting TTO operations comparable to UCLA TDG's mandate.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/UCLATDG
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/UCLAresearch
• Facebookfacebook.com/UCLATDG
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ucla-technology-development-group
• Instagraminstagram.com/uclatdg

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about UCLA Technology Development Group