But, it encountered insurmountable difficulties because of the lack of policy regarding to intellectual properties on several public Institutions, the Butantan Institute among then. Consequently, the patents of molecules – originated from the partnership between CAT/CEPID and the consortium of pharmaceutical industries – have not reached the formulation of business plans in order to develop these innovations. However, these institutional limitations were recently surpassed because the governmental Decree # 56.569/2010 attributed the status of ICTESP to Butantan Institute. Under this new status, the Butantan Institute organized a NTI (Nucleus for Technological Innovation) and established Guidelines to deal with technology transfer.

The first attempts of the CATcepid to deal with technological spinoffs from scientific research triggered a learning process among project investigators that progressively created, in house, a culture of innovation. Actually, the development of the patents prematurely licensed to pharmaceutical industries has continued being developed aiming to reach firm proofs of concept or pre-clinical assays.Several of these patented molecules display analgesic, antitumor and tissue remodeling activities.

Nowadays, the leader investigators of this new Center are much better prepared to deal with technological spinoffs from the in house scientific research than 10 years ago. The investigators are also aware that technology transfer to public and private commercial enterprises requires mediation by specialized professionals. This kind of operation should be conducted by an institutional office with expertise in this trading; hopefully, the Instituto Butantan currently has an office (NIT) focused in the intellectual properties generated in the Butantan Institute. On the other hand, the investigators have also learned that innovation inventors must be sufficiently knowledgeable to actively follow and, eventually, participate in actions for protection of intellectual property, patenting and patent licensing.