From lab to market: Strengthening the role of Technology Transfer Offices in bringing knowledge to the market

Academic knowledge producing organisations (universities, research and higher education institutions and RTOs) are acting as innovation engines by fuelling startups and industries with new knowledge, technologies and skilled individuals. This potential can be nurtured with efficient intellectual management strategies and effective Technology Transfer Offices (TTOs). However, Europe’s potential of research valorisation is underutilised.

Currently, it is challenging for industrial actors to identify and access academic results that have potential for commercialisation. On the one hand, a relatively complex fragmented landscape of TTOs generates high transaction costs discouraging companies, especially startups from engaging in collaboration or accessing academic research for commercialisation. On the other hand, the lack of financial and non-financial incentives for academic researchers hampers their commitment. Indeed, in many cases, researchers cannot fully appropriate royalties from the licensing of intellectual assets and knowledge valorisation activities are not recognised for their career progression.

In this regard, the Draghi report[[ The future of European competitiveness – A competitiveness strategy for Europe]] recommends European universities/RTOs to adopt a more coordinated, commercialisation minded, and startup friendly intellectual asset management approach[[ For example, using virtual shares or licensing conditions that compensate the university/research and higher education instituion/RTO only at the time when sales/profits are made from the product or service that commercialises the IPR or when investors exit the company.]].

Participating beneficiaries should engage in the following activities:

• adopting startup-friendly intellectual asset management strategies;
• accelerating the commercialisation of academic research results under fair and transparent conditions in an attractive way for innovative companies and investors, in particular for critical technology areas related to the EU’s economic security;
• reinforcing the adoption of best practices in intellectual asset management [[As identified in the Code of Practice on the management of intellectual assets for knowledge valorisation in the European Research Area.]] including the equitable sharing of value generated in R&I activities;
• improving the support to researchers and students in commercialising research results;
• enhancing intellectual asset management practices by establishing portfolio approaches to market intellectual assets in package deals;
• facilitating the collaboration between researchers, startups and innovative companies.

More specifically, project participants should:

1. Identify and share best-practices developed to support knowledge valorisation [[Participants are encouraged to share their best practices in the repository of best practices of the Knowledge Valorisation Platform, amongst others.]];
2. On this basis, create a common set of tools for start-up friendly licensing/transfer [[The project is encouraged to collaborate and build further where ever possible on results from other EU funded projects in the knowledge valorization domain. This includes in particular projects from calls HORIZON-CL4-2023-HUMAN-01-31 and HORIZON-CL4-2024-HUMAN-02-35.]] to be adapted to the specific national/regional context with templates, strategies, successful case studies and business models. The toolbox could include standardised rules and processes together with flexible and adaptable clauses to support negotiation, conclusion and implementation of licensing agreements;
3. Develop a common incentives and benefit-sharing model ensuring incentives for researchers and students to engage in commercialisation with a fair distribution of revenues from intellectual assets;
4. Test the licensing/transfer tools and benefit-sharing models by implementing at least three pilot cases with researchers or students engaging in commercialization activities.
5. The outcomes of these activities should enable to inform the further development of a blueprint for licensing, royalty- and revenue-sharing and equity participation for academic institutions and their inventors when commercialising IP and creating spinoffs[[The creation of a dedicated blueprint is part of the Lab to Unicorn Initiative announced under the EU Startup and Scaleup strategy. ]]. The blueprint should further support effective intellectual asset management and IPR negotiation and licensing practices across Europe.

The participation of innovation agencies and/or national and regional authorities that can help universities, research and higher education institutions or RTOs in adapting their intellectual asset management policy and implementation is encouraged. Beneficiaries should ensure to consult relevant stakeholders in particular startups and SMEs to carry out the action. They are also encouraged to leverage relevant complementary programmes such as the EIT Higher Education Initiative[[EIT Higher Education Initiative]].