- KEY ACTIONS OF INNOVATION SERVICES
The consortium FilmEU, the European Universities Alliance for Film and Media Arts together with Aalto University aims to promote entrepreneurial education, innovation, and research in the multidisciplinary field of cultural and creative sectors and industries based on an ambitious innovation vision action plan (IVAP) that covers four dimensions, including entrepreneurial education, project development, support structures for creativity and knowledge transfer, and collaboration and institutional engagement. To that end a joint entity, the joint TTO/ KTO (Technology and Knowledge Transfer Office) is established.
The Joint TTO office supports students and recent alumni from different disciplines from all institutions in the development of their business ideas. The aim is to provide them the skills to become entrepreneurs and test the market validation of their ideas through key actions.
Key actions:
Evaluation and coaching
• Market analysis
• Innovation potential
• Team and partnering
IP protection and management
• IP strategy
• Value creation
• Concept development
IP commercialisation
• Financial resources
• Go-to-market strategy
• Technology transfer
- GLOSSARY
WHAT IS TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER (TT)?
1Technology transfer involves technologies being transferred from labs, universities, or other research performing institutions to industry where they can be transformed into commercial products or services that will benefit society.
Although technology transfer can refer to much more than patenting, this activity tends to be a major part of the support and foundation on which TTOs are constructed. Other forms of IP protection (such as Copyright, Registered Designs, Trade Marks) can benefit from advice provided by Technology Transfer experts, but might not involve the same rigorous transfer processes and need for secrecy.The technology transfer process (TT) is just one small component of creating successful innovation. Nonetheless, it is a crucial step to consider because it helps protect innovation. The technology transfer team and experts provide essential support in various ways, including assessing technology readiness levels (TRL), identifying market opportunities, evaluating the team that will advance the invention to the next stages of licensing or forming a new company, offering advice on networking, finding investors, building a brand.
WHAT IS A (TRADITIONAL/TYPICAL) TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER OFFICE (TTO) AND WHAT DOES IT DO?
2A University TTO supports technology transfer activities that help: “… researchers transfer research results and technologies that belong to the university along the commercial routes of technology licensing and spin-out company formation.” [Pp. 8. Hockaday, Tom. University Technology Transfer]
Common areas associated with Technology Transfer and patenting are linked to the sciences and engineering. E.g., Aalto University’s ‘Patent Portfolio’ includes the main categories of Biochemistry and Chemistry / Electrical Engineering / Engineering Technology / ICT / Life Science and Medical Devices / Microtech, Nanotech and Materials.
A TTO’s activities are often counted via “… the formal aspects of IP-based technology transfer – that is, invention disclosures, patents, licenses, new enterprises spun out of university research, and revenues. These outcomes are relatively easy to count, are report annually by most institutions…” [Pp. 19. Stephen A. Merrill and Anne-Marie Mazza, Eds. Managing University Intellectual Property in the Public Interest]
Patenting is a major activity of technology transfer and protects an invention's use for up to 20 years, meaning the inventor (and HEI) can restrict the use of the invention for others and make a commercial profit through licensing. For a technology or invention to be eligible for patenting it must meet three criteria:
1) Novelty meaning it is definably different from anything that has been patented before, is available commercially or described in another publication/disclosure,
2) Inventive activity invention can't be obvious - even to others with 'average' or high ability in the same area of knowledge,
3) Applicability/industrial application meaning "it has to be useful for industrial purposes and needs to be able to be replicated industrially." ["Protecting Intellectual Property," University of Porto https://upin.up.pt/en/content/protecting-intellectual-property]
A TTO should be able to guide an invention along the pipeline of the 'Technology Transfer Processes.' The European site Knowledge4Policy lists the stages of the Technology Transfer as Discovery, Disclosure, Evaluation, IP Protection, Marketing, Licensing, Product Development, and Public Use and Financial Returns.
WHAT IS INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY (IP)?
3Intellectual property (IP) can refer to ‘hard IP’ such as patents and ‘soft IP’ such as Trademarks, Designs, and Copyright. The latter tend to be more commonly associated with the creative arts but both are important parts of commercializing research. Traditionally, patents are a major part and aim of the technology transfer process. Hard IP and Soft IP are not legal terms, however, these were useful in broadly defining the different IP related categories.
4INVENTION DISCLOSURE PROCESSES:
This includes Invention Disclosure Forms (IDF) (accessible through HEI's website or on application to the relevant structures). Submitting an IDF doesn’t necessarily mean that a project will have IP that requires registration or protection through patenting. However, it can be a valuable way to introduce students (or staff) to the commercial potential of their research and the benefits of using legal protections. E.g., IADT's Enterprise and Innovation Manager mentioned that during 2023's Media Cube Student Accelerator programme, each team was asked to submit an IDF and forms were assessed for potential IP. Tallinn University has a general IP Disclosure Form.
STARTUP INCUBATORS:
University incubators provide support for newly formed start-ups and form an important part of nurturing entrepreneurship and innovation within universities. However, incubators often work with start-ups that had no TT in the company’s formation and can support more generally entrepreneurial projects and those with non-university founders. Besides the Aalto University Startup Center, there is A-Grid (AU, startup hub hosting Aalto University Startup Center). Other institutions have incubators/startup centres titled: PLAY creative and technological incubator (Universidade Lusófona), Media Cube (IADT).
- TTO/TKO @ FILMEU
3.1 LUSÓFONA UNIVERSITY (PORTUGAL)
5The C-Accelerate technology transfer Office (TTO) is legally established in Portugal as part of Lusófona University’s M&ACKT (Media & Arts Centre for Knowledge Transfer) structure. Currently the structures that support technology transfer (TT) and knowledge transfer (KT) in Lusófona. Three (3) separate structures are relevant to TT and KT:
1) ILIND ((Lusófona Institute for Research and Development),
2) the PLAY Incubator, and
3) the Direction of Laboratories and Technology Transfer Centers.
3.2 DÚN LAOGHAIRE INSTITUTE OF ART, DESIGN + TECHNOLOGY (IADT) (IRELAND)
IADT plans to invest in the area of Technology Transfer and putting part of its budget into increasing supports for Technology Transfer (and for knowledge transfer (KT) and knowledge exchange (KE)) including a dedicated resource for staff and students, hiring a Technology Transfer Officer or Knowledge Transfer Office (or manager).
IADT has developed a series of templates (with assistance from Knowledge Transfer Ireland (KTI) and a lawyer) which will help in standardizing TT/KT/KE processes for Staff and students. For the past few years IADT has been part of the Dublin Region Innovation Consortium (DRIC) and has received support from this network, led by TU Dublin.
3.3 LUCA SCHOOL OF ARTS (BELGIUM)
Currently, LUCA has plenty of experience in knowledge transfer activities as a member of the KU Leuven Association, which has a large and highly experienced TTO named KU Leuven Research & Development (LRD). LRD does not just serve KU Leuven but also serves the KU Leuven Association as a whole, meaning that its services are made available to LUCA. Thus, LUCA looks to KU Leuven’s LRD for advice on IDFs and policies and guidelines. Where needed, LUCA draws on LRD’s expertise in legal advice and IP management. A Research Support Officer liaises with LRD. LUCA has a number of ongoing entrepreneurial initiatives and partner programs which are concentrated around the C-mine Campus in Genk (e.g., Pitch Please, LE(J)ON and STEP Student Enterprise). These are aimed at increasing the entrepreneurial capacity of students and alumni.
3.4 TALLINN UNIVERSITY (AND BALTIC SCHOOL OF FILM AND MEDIA) (ESTONIA)
Tallinn University has a Knowledge Transfer and Project Support Office whose staff provide support for university cooperation with industry and public sector institutions and for entrepreneurial education and start-ups. It also has EXU (Enterprise X University) which assists in creating industry partnerships with university staff and researchers. The local incubator Tallinn Creative also houses a permanent space for Estonia Designers to sell and showcase their work – Tallinn Design House.