# How to license a technology from an IIT: the process, the offices and the terms to expect URL: https://zernyxhub.com/blog/license-technology-from-iit Author: Sahil Sheikh, Regd. Patent & Trademark Agent, cRTTP Published: 2026-10-21 Category: Licensing > How to license technology from an IIT: which office to contact, the step-by-step process, NDAs, term sheets, exclusivity rules and what IIT IP policies allow. **Short answer:** To license a technology from an IIT, you contact the institute's technology transfer office (FITT at IIT Delhi, the Technology Transfer Office at IC&SR in IIT Madras, or the equivalent office at other IITs), review non-confidential details, sign an NDA to see the full data, apply with a letter of intent, and then negotiate a term sheet and licence agreement. Each IIT follows its own IP policy, which decides exclusivity, fees and what the licence can and cannot restrict. IITs file hundreds of patents a year, and many of them sit waiting for a company to pick them up. For an R&D head or an MSME owner, an IIT licence can mean a tested idea, access to the inventors and a shorter path to a product. The process is not complicated, but it is different at each institute, and companies lose months by writing to the wrong person or skipping the paperwork the office needs. This guide explains how licensing works at an IIT, using the published process at IIT Delhi and the setup at IIT Madras as examples, and what to check before you sign. For the general method that applies to any Indian university or lab, see our guide on [how to license a technology from an Indian university or lab](https://zernyxhub.com/academy#license-tech). ## The short answer Every IIT has an office that handles technology transfer. You start there, not with the professor. The office shares a non-confidential summary, arranges an NDA if you want the full technical data, takes your application, and negotiates the term sheet and licence on behalf of the institute. The professor is still central: you will meet them, and their support during know-how transfer often decides whether the licence works. ## Which office to contact The name changes from one IIT to another, so check the institute's website first. - **IIT Delhi:** the **Foundation for Innovation and Technology Transfer (FITT)** is the institute's technology transfer arm. It handles licensing of IIT Delhi's IP and know-how, and publishes a compendium of technologies and a list of recently filed IP. - **IIT Madras:** the **Technology Transfer Office (TTO)**, based in the IC&SR building, covers licensing and commercialisation, industry collaboration, startups and incubation, and consultancy and sponsored research. Its technology transfer website lists the institute's technologies. - **Other IITs:** look for the office of the Dean of Research and Development, an industrial research and consultancy centre, or an IPR or technology transfer cell. If you cannot find it, write to the Dean R&D and ask who handles licensing. Writing straight to a professor is not wrong, but the professor cannot sign a licence. The institute usually owns the IP, and the office is the one that can commit it. ## The licensing process, step by step IIT Delhi publishes an eight-step process on FITT's website. It is a good model of how most IITs work. ### Step 1: Identify the technology Review the licensable technologies list, the recently filed IP list or the institute's website. Note the title, the application number if shown, and the department. ### Step 2: Send a query Write to the technology transfer office. At this stage only non-confidential information is shared, so ask for the technology summary, its development stage and its patent status. ### Step 3: Ask for technical details If the summary fits, ask for detailed data or a meeting with the inventor. FITT notes that an NDA may be signed at this point. Bring your engineers to the meeting. ### Step 4: Submit a licence application Send a letter of intent on company letterhead with the licence application form. FITT provides the form for download on its website. Explain what you will make, for which market and on what timeline. ### Step 5: Assessment by the office The office reviews your application and your ability to commercialise the technology, and responds. ### Step 6: Term sheet The office proposes a term sheet: what is licensed, field, territory, exclusivity, fees, royalty, reporting and support from the inventors. ### Step 7: Negotiate and sign Negotiate the term sheet if needed, then execute the licence agreement. Once signed, the company can manufacture, sell and market under the licence. **Licensing an IIT technology, step by step** 1. Identify the technology: Licensable list, filed IP or the website 2. Send a query: Only non-confidential details at first 3. Meet the inventor: An NDA may be signed for full data 4. Apply: Letter of intent and licence application 5. Assessment: The office reviews your application 6. Term sheet: Field, territory, fees, royalty, support 7. Sign the licence: Then manufacture, sell and market ## What an IIT IP policy decides for you The licence you get is shaped by the institute's IP policy. Read it before you negotiate, because some points are not open for discussion. IIT Delhi's Intellectual Property Right Policy (2013) is a useful example: - **Exclusivity is limited.** The policy says that generally no entity shall be granted an exclusive right to develop or commercialise IIT Delhi owned IP, and any exclusive grant should be for a limited period to prevent misuse or non-use. Expect a non-exclusive licence, or exclusivity tied to a field and a time limit with performance conditions. - **Research and publication stay free.** A licence must not restrict the institute's research or publication rights, or a student inventor's thesis, and must not stop the institute or its inventors from independent research in the same area. Do not ask for a clause that blocks publication. Ask instead for confidential treatment of your own data and a short review window before papers that use it. - **Startups get flexible terms.** For startups, the policy says licence fees may depend on the nature of funding, and a licence can move to exclusive over a longer period, with a royalty set by IIT Delhi, once commercial viability is shown. - **Inventors share the income.** Under the policy's revenue sharing table, 60% of licensing revenue goes to the inventors. That gives the professor a real reason to support your scale-up. Other IITs have their own policies, and the details differ. Ask the office for the current version before the term sheet stage. **License what exists, or sponsor new research?** License existing technology: - The IP already exists and the institute owns it - Start with a non-confidential summary - Terms follow the institute's IP policy - Usually upfront fee plus royalty Sponsor new research: - The IP does not exist yet - Ownership is set in the research agreement - Can be yours, joint or the institute's - Agree ownership before work starts License when the result exists. Sponsor when it does not, and fix ownership first. ## Licence or sponsored research? Sometimes the technology you need is not finished. Then a sponsored research or collaborative project may fit better than a licence. Ownership of what comes out is set in the research agreement. IIT Delhi's policy, for example, allows IP from third-party funded work under a formal agreement to be owned by the sponsor, alone or jointly with the institute. For government-funded work, ownership follows the funding agency's terms. IP created with external funds but without any agreement is owned by the institute. The lesson is simple: sign the agreement, with clear IP terms, before the work starts. ## What to check before you sign An IIT name does not replace due diligence. Run these checks yourself. 1. **Status.** Search the application on the IP India public search: is it filed, published, under examination, granted or abandoned? A pending application is still licensable, but the claims may change. 2. **Renewals.** For a granted patent, confirm renewal fees are paid. A lapsed patent gives you nothing to license. 3. **Ownership.** Confirm the institute is the applicant and that any co-owner, sponsor or funding agency has no conflicting rights. 4. **Claims.** Read the claims, not just the abstract. Make sure they cover what you plan to make. 5. **Earlier licences.** Ask whether any licence already exists in your field or territory. 6. **Readiness.** Ask what has actually been shown: a lab result, a prototype or a pilot. The gap to production is your cost. Our [patent due diligence checklist](https://zernyxhub.com/blog/patent-due-diligence) covers each check in detail, and [technology licence agreement clauses](https://zernyxhub.com/blog/technology-licence-agreement) explains what to put in the final contract, including registration on Form 16. ## How the money usually works IIT policies rarely publish a fixed royalty rate. IIT Delhi's policy, for instance, leaves the royalty to be determined by the institute. Most licences combine some of these: - an upfront licence fee on signing, - a running royalty on sales, - milestone payments, for example on a first commercial batch, - a minimum annual royalty, especially for exclusive rights, - fees for the inventors' time during know-how transfer, often through a consultancy route. Prepare your own view of value before the term sheet arrives. Our guides on [how to put a price on a technology](https://zernyxhub.com/academy#value-tech) and [what royalty is fair](https://zernyxhub.com/blog/royalty-rates) help. ## Common mistakes - **Starting with the professor alone** and agreeing terms the office cannot accept. - **Asking for worldwide exclusivity on day one.** Ask for a field and a territory you will actually serve. - **Asking to stop publication.** Most IIT policies forbid it. Protect your data instead. - **Ignoring the know-how.** A patent alone rarely lets you build the product. Write the training and support into the licence. - **Not checking status.** A licence to a lapsed or abandoned application is worthless. ## Looking beyond one institute An IIT may not have the best answer to your problem. Before you commit, compare options from other universities and labs. Zernyx Hub indexes about 6.5 lakh technologies from the last ten years and gives business insight on each, including commercial applications, so you can shortlist candidates across institutions before you write to any office. Our guide on [technology scouting](https://zernyxhub.com/blog/technology-scouting) explains how to run the search. ## FAQ ### Can an MSME license a technology from an IIT? Yes. IIT technology transfer offices license to companies of all sizes. Show that you can make and sell the product: facilities, people, finance and a market plan. ### Do I need to sign an NDA with an IIT? Usually only when you ask for detailed technical data or a meeting with the inventor. The first summary you get is non-confidential. ### Will an IIT give me an exclusive licence? Sometimes, but it is limited. IIT Delhi's policy says exclusive grants should generally not be given, and when they are, they should be for a limited period. Expect conditions such as a field of use, a time limit and minimum performance. ### How long does it take to license an IIT technology? It depends on the institute, the technology and how quickly both sides agree terms. Getting the term sheet agreed early, and checking patent status yourself, saves the most time. ### Who owns improvements I make after licensing? That is set in the licence agreement. Agree it in the term sheet: who owns improvements you make, and whether you get rights to improvements the institute makes. --- Published by Zernyx Hub. More: https://zernyxhub.com/llms.txt