News for Researchers Uncategorized
Posted May 30, 2025 by Dan Moser
NUexpress, a new startup-friendly express license, allows university researchers to quickly launch startups around their university-owned inventions.
The license, developed by NUtech Ventures, is a standardized, transparent, nonnegotiable agreement with startup friendly terms. The NUexpress license is structured to minimize upfront financial burdens to the startup while still preserving long-term value for the university. It waives initial license fees, defers a portion of patent costs for four years and gives startups a choice between issuing equity with anti-dilution protection or paying a success fee at exit. Further, royalties on product sales and the modest minimum annual royalty become due in year four and are paid in year five. These terms are designed to align with the early growth trajectory of most startups — easing entry while ensuring that long-term success is shared.
To participate, startups must submit a business plan, obtain conflict of interest approval and commit to providing annual development reports. After the license is executed, founders will be required to complete the agreed-upon startup specific development milestones, which may include participation in an I-Corps program.
The NUexpress license is not available for therapeutics or vaccine technologies due to the regulatory complexity and high capital requirements typical of those fields. The license is focused on inventions that are well-suited for agile, research-driven startups and is intended to accelerate commercialization and reduce barriers for UNL researchers who want to turn their innovations into startups.
Information about the NUexpress license is available on the website or by contacting info@nutechventures.org.
