Introduction: Technology transfer agencies in India—such as APCTD, NRDC, TIFAC, BCIL, TBSE and SIDBI—play vital roles in commercialization, licensing, incubation, funding and intellectual property management for the pharmaceutical sector. B. Pharm students should understand how these agencies support technology transfer, research commercialization, industry–academia linkages, royalty models, startup financing, startup incubation and regulatory facilitation. Key concepts include patent licensing, technology valuation, model agreements, incubation services, grant and loan schemes, and biotech commercialization pathways. This knowledge helps future pharmacists translate lab innovations into safe, affordable medicines and scalable processes. Now let’s test your knowledge with 30 MCQs on this topic.
Q1. What is the primary role of technology transfer agencies in India?
- Regulating clinical trials nationwide
- Promoting commercialization of research outputs
- Issuing pharmaceutical manufacturing licenses
- Conducting all drug safety testing
Correct Answer: Promoting commercialization of research outputs
Q2. Which organization is best known for licensing technologies developed in public research institutions in India?
- SIDBI
- TIFAC
- NRDC
- BCIL
Correct Answer: NRDC
Q3. BCIL (Biotech Consortium India Limited) primarily focuses on:
- Funding only chemical engineering projects
- Commercialization of biotechnology and bioscience technologies
- Setting drug price controls
- Granting marketing approvals for new drugs
Correct Answer: Commercialization of biotechnology and bioscience technologies
Q4. TIFAC’s main mandate includes:
- Forecasting technological trends and policy input
- Manufacturing generic drugs
- Providing hospital accreditation
- Enforcing patent litigation
Correct Answer: Forecasting technological trends and policy input
Q5. SIDBI supports technology transfer mainly by:
- Providing statutory quality control
- Offering finance and credit support to MSMEs and startups
- Issuing drug patents
- Conducting clinical audits for hospitals
Correct Answer: Offering finance and credit support to MSMEs and startups
Q6. In technology transfer, a “license agreement” typically defines:
- The clinical trial protocol
- Terms of commercialization, royalties and field of use
- The manufacturing plant accreditation
- The price of the licensed product
Correct Answer: Terms of commercialization, royalties and field of use
Q7. Which activity is NOT normally performed by technology transfer agencies?
- Technology marketing and scouting
- IP management and patent support
- Directly performing API synthesis for companies
- Facilitating industry–academic linkages
Correct Answer: Directly performing API synthesis for companies
Q8. TBSE in pharma technology discussions usually stands for:
- Technology-Based Small Enterprises
- Technical Bureau for Safety Evaluation
- Translational Biomedical Safety Exchange
- Tiered Biotech Standards Entity
Correct Answer: Technology-Based Small Enterprises
Q9. A model technology transfer agreement should ideally include:
- Clinical trial results only
- IP ownership, licensing terms, milestones and indemnity clauses
- Product pricing fixed for life
- Government procurement guarantees
Correct Answer: IP ownership, licensing terms, milestones and indemnity clauses
Q10. Which agency helps with forecasting technology needs and creating roadmaps that benefit pharma innovation?
- NRDC
- TIFAC
- BCIL
- SIDBI
Correct Answer: TIFAC
Q11. One common output of a successful technology transfer process is:
- A published newspaper advertisement
- A commercial license and technology scale-up plan
- An institutional ethical clearance only
- Termination of IP rights
Correct Answer: A commercial license and technology scale-up plan
Q12. NRDC offers which of the following services to inventors and institutions?
- Technology assessment, patenting support and licensing services
- Manufacturing APIs on behalf of universities
- Regulatory inspection of manufacturing sites
- Clinical endpoint analysis for trials
Correct Answer: Technology assessment, patenting support and licensing services
Q13. Which of the following best describes technology valuation in transfer transactions?
- Calculation of clock-time to file patents
- Assessment of commercial potential, market, development cost and risks
- Only the cost of laboratory reagents
- Counting the number of authors on a paper
Correct Answer: Assessment of commercial potential, market, development cost and risks
Q14. For biotech innovations, BCIL commonly assists with:
- Aggregation of clinical trial sites for foreign regulators
- Business development, partnering and commercialization support
- Issuing GMP certificates
- Setting international drug tariffs
Correct Answer: Business development, partnering and commercialization support
Q15. Which is a common royalty model used in pharma technology licensing?
- Flat fee per clinical trial participant
- Upfront fee plus milestone payments and running royalties on sales
- Only equity-for-IP swaps without cash
- Government-specified fixed percentage for all deals
Correct Answer: Upfront fee plus milestone payments and running royalties on sales
Q16. Incubation support provided by transfer agencies typically includes:
- Laboratory space, mentoring, business services and linkages to funders
- Exclusive rights to all startup IP forever
- Automatic market access to government hospitals
- Clinical trial waiver for new drugs
Correct Answer: Laboratory space, mentoring, business services and linkages to funders
Q17. An important benefit of working with NRDC for academic inventors is:
- Guaranteed product approval
- Access to market partners and licensing networks
- Replacement of institutional ethics committees
- Subsidized raw materials for manufacturing
Correct Answer: Access to market partners and licensing networks
Q18. Which of these is a key consideration when transferring a formulation technology to industry?
- Thermal conductivity of the building
- Scale-up reproducibility, stability, regulatory pathway and cost of goods
- Number of pages in the PhD thesis
- Proximity to a main highway only
Correct Answer: Scale-up reproducibility, stability, regulatory pathway and cost of goods
Q19. SIDBI’s role in promoting pharma startups most often involves:
- Directly conducting drug discovery research
- Providing credit guarantee schemes, soft loans and promotional funding
- Licensing university patents without fees
- Approving clinical trial sites
Correct Answer: Providing credit guarantee schemes, soft loans and promotional funding
Q20. Technology scouting by agencies aims to:
- Find promising technologies for licensing and industry adoption
- Monitor social media for drug complaints
- Replace institutional IP cells
- Rank universities by student population
Correct Answer: Find promising technologies for licensing and industry adoption
Q21. A “field-of-use” restriction in a license limits:
- The geographic region only
- The specific applications or product categories the licensee can exploit
- The number of employees in the licensee company
- The salary of the inventor
Correct Answer: The specific applications or product categories the licensee can exploit
Q22. When preparing a commercialization plan, which metric is crucial for pharma technologies?
- Predicted patient population and target market size
- Number of university departments
- Length of the patent document
- Color of the laboratory walls
Correct Answer: Predicted patient population and target market size
Q23. Which agency typically provides technical foresight reports useful to pharma researchers?
- NRDC
- TIFAC
- SIDBI
- Local municipal office
Correct Answer: TIFAC
Q24. For early-stage TBSEs, what is a major challenge technology transfer agencies help address?
- Selecting wallpaper for offices
- Bridging the “valley of death” between lab proof-of-concept and commercialization
- Assigning faculty teaching schedules
- Setting clinical trial endpoints
Correct Answer: Bridging the “valley of death” between lab proof-of-concept and commercialization
Q25. Which document formally assigns IP ownership before licensing discussions begin?
- Material Transfer Agreement (MTA) or an institutional IP assignment policy
- Clinical trial registration only
- Import-export license
- Student internship certificate
Correct Answer: Material Transfer Agreement (MTA) or an institutional IP assignment policy
Q26. In pharma tech transfer, “due diligence” usually examines:
- Only the color scheme of packaging
- IP status, freedom-to-operate, regulatory pathway and scalability
- How many interns are available
- The university admission criteria
Correct Answer: IP status, freedom-to-operate, regulatory pathway and scalability
Q27. A spun-off startup from a university wanting commercialization help should first approach:
- Technology transfer office (TTO) or a recognized agency like NRDC or BCIL
- The local grocery store
- The film certification board
- A random social media influencer
Correct Answer: Technology transfer office (TTO) or a recognized agency like NRDC or BCIL
Q28. Which approach reduces commercial risk when licensing a novel drug formulation?
- Granting exclusive rights with no milestones
- Stage-gated milestones tied to development and regulatory approvals
- Refusing any background IP checks
- Mandating immediate mass production
Correct Answer: Stage-gated milestones tied to development and regulatory approvals
Q29. One way technology transfer agencies measure impact is by tracking:
- Number of library books issued
- Number of licenses executed, startups formed and jobs created
- Number of campus festivals
- Average class attendance
Correct Answer: Number of licenses executed, startups formed and jobs created
Q30. For B. Pharm students, understanding technology transfer helps mainly by:
- Ensuring they can perform routine lab titrations faster
- Preparing them to translate research into medicines, manage IP and engage with industry
- Guaranteeing government jobs
- Replacing clinical pharmacology courses
Correct Answer: Preparing them to translate research into medicines, manage IP and engage with industry
I am a Registered Pharmacist under the Pharmacy Act, 1948, and the founder of PharmacyFreak.com. I hold a Bachelor of Pharmacy degree from Rungta College of Pharmaceutical Science and Research. With a strong academic foundation and practical knowledge, I am committed to providing accurate, easy-to-understand content to support pharmacy students and professionals. My aim is to make complex pharmaceutical concepts accessible and useful for real-world application.
Mail- Sachin@pharmacyfreak.com