Intellectual property of innovations and creation of value: the challenges of commercial exploitation of results from agronomic research for the development of Southern countries

Research support
The “valorization” of research consists in increasing the value of results which have a potential for industrial and /or commercial exploitation. The value is often stronger using tools from the intellectual property rights. All in all, it contributes to the impact of the research towards the civil society. The valorization of research is today strongly encouraged as part of national innovation systems in order to ensure a better link between the production of knowledge by the academic sector and the use of the innovation by the actors from socio-economical sector (answer to social concerns, participation to economic progress, strengthening the competitiveness of SMEs and firms...). Intellectual property rights are a powerful tool for creating value and transferring knowledge, which must be well managed in order to get all profits.
© P. Vall, Cirad

© P. Vall, Cirad

Objectives

Global objective :

· Strengthening the capacities in innovation management of universities and research centers from South working in life sciences, social sciences and engineering sciences applied to agriculture, food and rural areas.

  • Sensitizing managers of higher education or research structures to the valorization of research and potential commercial exploitation from innovation from their laboratories
Specific objective :
  • Basic level: awareness on the different forms and process of valorization and commercial exploitation of results.
  • Advanced level: giving methodologies and advices to the staff from business and valorization units involved in operational activities related to exploitation and transfer of technology and know-how.

Audience

  • Researchers, teachers and inventors
  • Engineers and technical managers from universities and research centers
  • Research support administrative staff, staff from business and valorization units
  • Project managers
  • Research Units or Laboratory managers

Language

French

Program

The training offered is organized around 4 modules lasting from 1.5 hours to 3 hours and is delivered over a period of 2 days. It is completed with exercise and practical case. The format of this training can be adapted to different contexts and particular requests

Module "General aspects of the Intellectual Property Rights applied to research"

As an introduction, the trainer will define the notions of intellectual and industrial property. He/she will discuss whether it is better to publish or protect an invention. He/she will detail the different categories of industrial property rights and the conditions of for their implementation. The trainer will detail the intellectual property rights and more particularly the notion of copyright for authors. He will discuss the notion of database and secret know-how. Co-ownership and its consequences for industrial property rights will be mentioned. Finally, the trainer will ask the question of the relevance of protecting the results by patent or to appeal to alternative solutions in emerging countries.

The specificities of the system of protection of intellectual property at the OAPI (African Intellectual Property Organization) can be addressed.

Module "Ways of valorization of an invention"

As an introduction, the trainer will define the license agreement. He/she will present all the specificities of the license agreement, the different options of negotiations, and the required clauses for a win-win agreement. He will describe the annex that use to constitute part of the license agreement. The trainer will finally discuss some specificities of the license on secret know-ho

The trainer will introduce the fundamental differences between “traditional” marketing and marketing of innovation for the determination of product and service prices. He/she will present the three main methods for assessing the value of an innovation (cost, revenue and market definition approach). Then the trainer will discuss in a more practical way all the criteria for evaluating the value of an innovation that the inventor must take into account when evaluating the value of his invention. These criteria will be detailed in a precise and practical way: evaluation of the degree of maturity of the innovative technology : TRL scale, time factor, positioning of the innovation with the SWOT approach, package sold around the innovation, evaluation of market and notion of market sharing, 360° applications, typology of invention (process, product, services...) and quality of the intellectual property. Depending on the degree of understanding of the audience, the trainer will illustrate the concepts detailed above with a presentation of the Expected Net Present Value (ENPV) method, simplifying it extremely to present only the questions that the inventor must ask himself when evaluating the negotiation value of his invention.

Module “Negotiation of licence agreement”

As an introduction, the trainer will recall the main purposes of the research and present the notions of scientific, social and commercial valorization. The trainer will then discuss some important definitions (research results, commercial valorization, invention, innovation ...). A general and schematic presentation of the "Market Pull" and "Techno Push" approaches will be assessed. Then two main methods of valued-added for research will be exposed:

- The industrial partnership: main stakes in each stage of its implementation, since the phase of emergence (agreement of confidentiality, qualification of the partnership, drafting of the terms of reference), the construction of a budget in full cost, the negotiation of the contract until the implementation and the optimized monitoring of the project and its results

- The technology transfer: main issues at each stage of its implementation, from the detection of high-potential results in laboratories, the demonstration of the concept proof, the necessity to launch technical and economic feasibility pre-studies and the definition of the industrial and commercial protection strategies. The mains requirements for making the choice between granting a patent license to an existing company will be discussed.

Module "Evaluation of the market and the financial value of a technology"

The trainer will introduce the fundamental differences between “traditional” marketing and marketing of innovation for the determination of product and service prices. He/she will present the three main methods for assessing the value of an innovation (cost, revenue and market definition approach). Then the trainer will discuss in a more practical way all the criteria for evaluating the value of an innovation that the inventor must take into account when evaluating the value of his invention. These criteria will be detailed in a precise and practical way: evaluation of the degree of maturity of the innovative technology : TRL scale, time factor, positioning of the innovation with the SWOT approach, package sold around the innovation, evaluation of market and notion of market sharing, 360° applications, typology of invention (process, product, services...) and quality of the intellectual property. Depending on the degree of understanding of the audience, the trainer will illustrate the concepts detailed above with a presentation of the Expected Net Present Value (ENPV) method, simplifying it extremely to present only the questions that the inventor must ask himself when evaluating the negotiation value of his invention.

Module “Negotiation of licence agreement”

As an introduction, the trainer will define the license agreement. He/she will present all the specificities of the license agreement, the different options of negotiations, and the required clauses for a win-win agreement. He will describe the annex that use to constitute part of the license agreement. The trainer will finally discuss some specificities of the license on secret know-how

Trainers

CIRAD expert in commercial valorization of results from agronomic research

CIRAD Lawyer in intellectual and industrial property rights

Prerequisites

  • Basic level: Scientific and /or financial background ; conceptual and practical knowledge of scientific project management or implementatio
  • Advanced level: Skills in business management or scientific management of research centers / units of research and laboratories

See also