Universities' Intellectual Property: Path for Innovation or Patent Competition? (original) (raw)

Technology Transferfrom Universities And Public Research Institutes To Firms In Brazil:What Is Transferred And How The Transfer Is Made

Anais Do Xxxvii Encontro Nacional De Economia Proceedings of the 37th Brazilian Economics Meeting, 2011

This paper presents an analysis of the technology transfer process from universities and public research institutes to firms in Brazil. In particular, this study is concerned with the role of patents in this process. Although there is a certain enthusiasm in promoting technology transfer offices to manage university patents, the importance of patents to the technology transfer process is not well understood in the literature yet. We conducted a survey with leaders of research groups from universities and public research institutes that developed and transferred technology to firms. The results show that patents are one of the least used channels of technology transfer by universities and public research institutes. But the importance of the channels varies according to the kind of technology transferred and to the firms' industry.

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY & TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER PRACTICES OF PUBLIC BRAZILIAN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY INSTITUTES: MULTIPLE CASE STUDIES

The “Technological Innovation Act”, promulgated in Brazil in 2004, represents the main legal framework implemented to promote technological innovation and to delineate a favorable scenario for scientific development in Brazil. It regulates specially the r elationship between Scientific and Technological Institutions (STI) – such as universities and public research institutes - and private companies in Brazil. Among other things, the law determines that each STI should compose a Technological Innovation Cent er (NIT, as its acronym in Portuguese) to act as an interface of the STI and its markets. These centers are equivalent to what is internationally called Technology Transfer Office and have as main responsibility to transfer the knowledge and inventions generated at Public Research Institutes (PRI) to private sector.This paper describes and provides some reflections upon the experience of three NIT, located in the State of São Paulo (Brazil): Innovation Agency of University of Campinas (Inova/ Unicamp); Innovation Agency of Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar) and Embrapa Informatics of Agriculture. The analysis was focused on the following issues: history, legal structure and organizational model, mission and activities, relationships and results.

Management of Intellectual Property in Brazilian Universities: a Multiple Case Study

2013

Originally established to incentivize individual inventors the patent system became broadly used by corporations, and has been increasingly used by universities worldwide. In Brazil, this is not different; especially in recent years when public policy has attempted to more directly foster innovation in the country. However, little is known as to the extent that universities in Brazil are able to coordinate patent-related activities and to facilitate knowledge transfer. On the basis of multiple case studies this paper explores how publiclyfunded universities in Brazil are equipping themselves to deal with intellectual property rights (IPR) as well as technology licensing. The studied cases suggest that despite significant amount of patents applications, Brazilian universities present many differences in the management of their intellectual property. In particular, universities’ TTOs seem to play a central role in university productivity when it comes to patenting and knowledge transfer.

What is the Destiny of Patents of Brazilian Universities?

Journal of technology management & innovation, 2011

The power of patent is expressed when the innovative product or process goes to market, and the exclusive right that patent ensures generates the market power, and the holder possibility to obtain competitive advantage over competitors. Thus, it becomes compelling the discussions on the universities need for transformation of patent applications efforts into granted patents, which could be negotiated with a higher degree of juridical certainty and, consequently, higher value added. To establish an Index of Patents Granting, and understand the importance of Technological Innovation Nuclei for the increase of this index, it was developed a survey on the number of patents granted to Brazilian universities and evaluated the structure of Technological Innovation Nuclei of these universities. From the survey on the granting cases, it was verified that the universities presenting, among other characteristics, better structured Technological Innovation Nuclei stood out.

Technology transfer from universities and public research institutes to firms in Brazil: what is transferred and how the transfer is carried out

Science & Public Policy, 2010

This paper presents an analysis of the technology transfer process from universities and public research institutes to firms in Brazil. In particular, this study is concerned with the role of patents in this process. Although there is a certain enthusiasm in promoting technology transfer offices to manage university patents, the importance of patents to the technology transfer process is not well understood in the literature yet. We conducted a survey with leaders of research groups from universities and public research institutes that developed and transferred technology to firms. The results show that patents are one of the least used channels of technology transfer by universities and public research institutes. But the importance of the channels varies according to the kind of technology transferred and to the firms' industry.

The Relationship Between Petrobras and Brazilian Universities Measured by the Number of Patents Applied in Co-Ownership and in the Percentage of Licensing Thereof

2018

Much is known about the use of the number of patents applied as an indicator of innovation, however, it is believed that to analyze the relationship between Petro bras (a partially stateowned oil company) and Brazilian universities, it would be better to evaluate the number of patents they have in co-ownership and what percentage of them is licensed. The article uses as a starting point the legislation for innovation created in 2004 in Brazil and highlight some benefits of this government incentive in terms of patents applied and licensed by many Brazilian universities. Due to the results of this study the model of appropriation of inventions derived from R&D projects in partnership between Petro bras and universities is questioned leading to the conclusion that besides the option of share the ownership of the patent it should be given to the partners the option of hand over its part in the ownership in exchange of a free license to explore it commercially, assuming this as the real...

Technology Transfer Policies and Entrepreneurial Innovations at Brazilian University-Industry Partnerships

2021

Over the past 40 years, the Bayh-Dole Act has been the most inspiring piece of legislation around the world. This policy measure has empowered organizations (i.e., universities, SMEs, and non-profit organizations) to be the owners of inventions made by federally-funded research, as well as it has ensured royalties, licensing, and spinningoff to the organizations that have made these inventions. The most consistent output of this policy measure has been the flourishment of the academic entrepreneurship phenomenon around the world (Grimaldi et al. 2011; Aldridge and Audretsch 2017; Guerrero et al. 2015; Guerrero and Urbano 2019b). This has been confirmed by the exponential rising of technology transfer and academic entrepreneurship research over the past three decades (Miranda et al. 2018; Guerrero and Urbano 2019b).

Innovation, intellectual property and technological transfer by inventors in Brazil

International Journal for Innovation Education and Research, 2020

Innovation can be understood as a technological asset in relation to the protection of knowledge with regard to intellectual property, and a challenge for universities and companies regarding the transfer of technology, since there are numerous variables that influence even full monetization. It is important to reflect on all the energy expended in relation to the authors involved in this process, having as general objective to analyze the perception of researchers about the processes of protection of intellectual property and its security mechanisms, characteristics of innovation and technology transfer. A structured research was used as a methodology, using the survey method, applied to specialists, with hypotheses formulated, based on the literature review. The results mainly understand that there is a moderate correlation index in quantitative terms of graduate programs and number of patents, by region of Brazil, an awareness in agreement with the elements of protection of intel...

Patents valuation in core innovation: case study of a Brazilian public university

Innovation & Management Review

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to assess how technology transfer offices (TTOs) of a public university of the state of São Paulo use patent valuation methods in the process of using developed technology value and transferring technology to industry. Design/methodology/approach This study is an exploratory qualitative investigation based on a case study conducted in a public university in the state of São Paulo. The university has a TTO and an internal structure for technology transfer. In-depth interviews were conducted with the TTO manager about patent valuation and the answers given were analysed. Findings The results on how TTOs use patent valuation methods in the process of assigning value to technology indicate which factors facilitate and which factors hinder the valuation of patents in technologies developed at universities. Research limitations/implications The possible lack of data disclosure due to confidentiality regarding royalties and trading fees makes further co...

Management of Intellectual Property, Technology Transfer and Entrepreneurship: Analysis of the Experiences of Universities in Brazil and Chile

2018

Nowadays, innovation, technology and entrepreneurship have been increasingly valued as generators of wealth, competitiveness and development of contemporary societies, thus composing the political agenda of developed and emerging countries. The objective that guided the development of this work is to analyze the practices of Intellectual Property (IP) management, technology transfer (TT) and entrepreneurship in teaching and research institutions in Brazil and Chile. For that, the Federal University of ABC, located in Brazil, and the University of Chile, in Chile, were selected. In July 2017, interviews were conducted with professionals from the areas of TT, IP, and entrepreneurship in both universities. The results showed that the two institutions face, in a period of maturity and consolidation, some challenges related to the extension of IP management mechanisms, consolidation of partnership practices with business actors, structuring of performance indicators that reflect the inte...