Seminar: Knowledge and Technology Transfer at the ICN2

As part of a series of internal seminars on technology transfer at the ICN2, Alfonso del Rey outlined the role of the ICN2 Knowledge and Technology Transfer Office, with special emphasis on the IP protection and commercialisation process.

In order for European research to be competitive at the global scale and have the kind of impact on industry and society that it is having elsewhere in the world, understanding (and travelling) the route to market is essential. Speaking to around 20 researchers from the ICN2, Alfonso del Rey of the ICN2 Knowledge and Technology Transfer Office outlined the main milestones along this path, as well as the support available at the ICN2 to help achieve them.

Beyond the high-reaching goals of social and economic impact, he also pointed to some of the more personal motivations for researchers to get involved in technology transfer, such as the new intellectual challenges and stimuli derived from spending time at the interface between science and industry and/or the end user. Not to mention the chance to use the income generated to fund discretionary research.

Special emphasis was placed this time on the patent process as a means of protecting intellectual property prior to commercialisation, from the complementarity of the scientific manuscript and the patent; the average man hours and costs (600; €15-20k) involved in filing and commercialising a patent; and the patent timeline.

Also at the seminar, department head Jordi Reverter gave some facts and figures about technology transfer at the ICN2. Namely, that institute currently has a portfolio of 35 live patent families, and over the past eight years has signed thirteen license agreements to exploit patents and industrial secrets.

The next seminar in this series will be held in November 2017 and will focus on spinoff creation.