Technology Transfer Office (TTO)

Our vision is to become a distinguished regional center in creating and nurturing the knowledge economy.

TTO aims to generate practical solutions that contribute to economic development while expanding the University's revenue streams through diversifying sources of income beyond traditional methods.

We also strive to become an accredited hub for the development and transfer of technology and knowledge. Our goal is to achieve An-Najah National University's goal of research excellence and innovation by providing a framework that governs the ownership, use, and commercial development of inventions, discoveries, and creative works made under the auspices of the University. We also provide a framework for protecting the intellectual property rights of faculty, staff, and students and licensing them to external parties.

Our mission is to embrace applied research and preserve intellectual property to encourage creators, innovators, and inventors and transform their ideas into valuable products in the Palestinian, regional, and global knowledge economy system.

TTO encourages the development of innovative solutions required by the industry by working on joint projects, protecting and commercializing intellectual property in the University, and facilitating the transfer of technologies from the University to the industry.

Overall, the TTO at An-Najah National University strives to bridge the gap between academia and industry to bring about innovation and economic growth.

• Foster and support technological activities at the University by linking academic and industrial aspects, and investing in the results of scientific research to establish emerging companies.
• Protect and license intellectual property rights of faculty, staff, and students to external parties while ensuring fair compensation for their contributions.
• Facilitate the dissemination and utilization of comprehensive scientific research results, innovations, and professional services to the wider community and research organizations by supporting, organizing, and encouraging innovative activities.
• Connect researchers with industry and society to communicate scientific research that has a significant impact, and provide opportunities for researchers to achieve their goals.
• Encourage community participation in protecting and licensing inventions, innovations, and other types of scientific research results, as well as partnerships with industry.
• Commercialize innovative projects and technologies, and engage in producing, licensing, and commercializing scientific research and innovations.
• Develop and update policies and procedures related to the production and marketing of scientific research to ensure they align with current best practices and regulations.

The TTO employs a team of professionals who work together to achieve its objectives, including:

• Office Manager: responsible for overseeing the daily operations of the office, managing its budget, and ensuring that reports are submitted to the University administration on time.
• Project Management Coordinator: responsible for coordinating communication between internal and external parties, overseeing the implementation of collaborative projects, and ensuring that timelines and budgets are adhered to.
• Intellectual Property Coordinator: responsible for managing the intellectual property portfolio of the University, ensuring compliance with relevant laws and regulations, and communicating with external stakeholders.
• Support Staff: part-time employees from different departments and faculties are employed on an as-needed basis to support the work of the office.

The TTO carries out a range of activities, including:

• Raising awareness of the importance of protecting intellectual property rights among university students, faculty members, and researchers through the implementation of workshops and lectures, and participation in exhibitions and conferences.
• Supporting intellectual property rights by registering patent applications with international patent registration offices.
• Supervising the University's patent marketing and technology transfer activities.
• Providing legal support to protect intellectual property in line with the University's procedures and policies.
• Encouraging and supporting innovation initiatives and guiding innovators regarding their inventions' social and financial returns.
• Transferring knowledge from the University's departments and faculties to the local, regional, and global community through various projects.

The TTO of the University plays a crucial role in building relationships with the local community and industry partners. The following points highlight some of the ways the office works towards this goal:

• The Office actively engages with the Chambers of Industry and the Federation of Industries to identify research ideas and needs that can be linked to technology and applied research within the University. This helps in establishing strong partnerships between the University and local industries.
• The Office maintains communication with networks of technology transfer offices in various Arab, regional, European, and American universities to exchange ideas and explore possibilities of collaboration on joint projects. This helps in keeping the University up-to-date with the latest trends in technology transfer and innovation.
• The Office is committed to raising awareness among the University employees about the potential for linking their research ideas with industry and the mechanism for guaranteeing intellectual property rights for their inventions. This helps in fostering a culture of innovation within the University and encourages researchers to explore opportunities for commercializing their ideas.
• The Office liaises with official authorities, such as the Ministry of Economy, to ensure that the intellectual property rights of inventors and innovators from within the University are protected. This helps in safeguarding the interests of university researchers and creates a supportive environment for their entrepreneurial pursuits.
• The Office forms specialized committees to evaluate the quality, innovation, and industrial applicability of research submitted by the University employees. The Office submits the results of its evaluation to the University administration, including the types of rights that can be protected and market opportunities. The Office may engage third parties under agreements that are prepared to this end.
• If the University decides to protect its intellectual property, the Office takes charge of the process of preparing the necessary technical and legal documents. This ensures that the process is handled professionally and efficiently.
• The Office keeps the University administration informed of any fees due to maintain or renew applications for intellectual property rights that have been deposited or granted. This is done before a period of no less than two months from the due date and includes details about the stage reached by the intellectual property in the commercialization process. This helps in managing the finances associated with intellectual property rights effectively.

• The project "Enhancing Cooperation between An-Najah University and the Industrial Sector" - Boosting University - Industry Links for Development in Palestine, supported by the European Union and funded through the Tempus Program, An-Najah University was the coordinator of the project, through the project there were disseminating of good practices in the management of university-industry cooperation in order to promote employment in the main areas of growth and industrial activity.
• STEP Project: “Strengthening University-Enterprise linkages in Palestine”, the project contributed to the socio-economic development in Palestine by strengthening linkages between universities and enterprises in terms of cooperation and partnerships. Liaison offices with Industry were established within this project - in Five Palestinian Universities" An-Najah University “project coordinator”, Hebron University, Palestine Polytechnic University, Islamic University and University College of Applied Sciences - Gaza. Where through this project, the technology and knowledge transfer offices of three European universities that participated in the implementation of the project were visited, and the experiences of the mechanism of work of the offices in these universities were gained.
• IP-MED Project: Promoting Intellectual property law studies in the Mediterranean region, building up ENPI South HEIs' competences in the field of Intellectual Property (IP) Law and practice in order to enhance innovation capacities and technology transfer in the region for development and growth. "Master Programme in Intellectual Property was established in through this project on 2017" in 6 universities "Palestine, Jordan and Egypt", and An-Najah University was the coordinator of the grant for the project.
• Working on "Horizon" projects with technology transfer offices in Italy and Spain.

IPR Forms

• Trademarks
• Patent 
• Technical Drawing

International Application

• Guide to registering an international application
• WIPO International Examination Forms (PCT)

•  World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
• United States Patent and Trademark Office
• European Patent Office (EPO)
• Free patents online
• Palestinian laws and legislation
• European Patent Office (EPO)
• Free Patents Online

• Ministry of National Economy
• The Higher Council for Innovation and Excellence
• Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research
• The Palestinian Standards Institution
• NGate-Innovation & Tech Hub
• Scientific centers
• Deanship of Scientific Research
• Faculty of Graduate Studies
• Faculties of the university
• Palestinian universities