IP management in knowledge transfer

Dr Alun Tlusty-Sheen MInstKTAURIL Council

www.auril.org.ukUniversity of Westminsterwww.westminster.ac.uk

Briefing

• “I believe the work of the Institute for Knowledge Transfer and of AURIL in building capacity for successful knowledge transfer is exemplary in the European region … [would you]

• share your organizations' experience with and approach towards IP management in knowledge transfer

• help our constituents advance their understanding of these issues

• identify what steps they can take to promote knowledge transfer in their countries

Roles in IP Management

• KT Officers• Government Money• IP Income• AURIL• KT Training

Abbreviations• HEFCE

– Higher Education Funding Council for England

• HEIF– Higher Education Innovation Fund

• HECAF– Higher Education Active Community Fund

• HEI– Higher Education Institutions

• PSRO – Public Sector Research Organisation

About me …• UK KT since 2003 at University of Westminster• International KT 1994-2002 London Business

School• MSc LBS 1992-93, Research Fellow• Marketing B2B Software 1984-1992• D Phil “Prehistoric Iraqi Archaeology” Oxford

1979-1982

… “normal” path for UK KT people …

What do we do – 1• Manage intellectual property• Broker partnerships and strategic alliances• Identify, evaluate, exploit knowledge• Bid for research / exploitation / development

funding• Manage contracts for research and

consultancy• Conduct/commission technology audits

What do we do – 2• Create Start-Up / Spin-Out Companies• Negotiate contracts, close deals including

licenses• Support and train Company managers• Establish work-based CPD training

programmes• Hire of equipment and facilities• Train fellow professionals• Market and promote services

Organisation (HEIs and PSROs)

define and manage KT differently• Part of Academic Administration• Part of Corporate Services• Report direct to Vice Chancellor• 100% Subsidiary Company• Public Company with external shareholders

… with different missions …

Different Missions• Raise income• Regenerate local economy• Accelerate diffusion of new discoveries• Improve student employability through more

relevant curricula delivered by more real world aware academics

– Spider diagrams that follow from Library House Metrics for the Evaluation of Knowledge Transfer Activities at Universities March 2009 - www.libraryhouse.net

University of Oxford

Spin Outs - Queen’ University Belfast

Consultancy- University of Surrey

External Investment Raised by Spin Outs UCL London

Contract Research and Spinouts Imperial College London

Wide range of actions underpinned by

common skill bases• Problem solving and managing

• Information & Communications•

Relationships

•

Decision Making Process

•

Commercial Interface

•

Projects

•

Operations Within a Legal Context

Impact

• Private Sector => competitiveness & growth• Public Sector => effective, harmonious policy• Culture => enrichment• Community => resources and ‘voice training’

… a more ‘intelligent’ society …

Government Money (www.hefce.ac.uk)

2000-2004 (Bid) £210M– HEROBC, HEIF 1, HEACF

2004-2006 (Bid) £200M– HEIF 2, HEACF 2

2006-2008 (Allocation +Bid) £238M– HEIF 3

2008-2011 (Allocation –max&min) £400M– HEIF 4

• http://www.ikt.org.uk/heif3/Heif3landing.aspx

IP Income• In 2005-06 and 2006-07 just over 1% of University

income £94 million at an IP protection cost of £17 - £20 million

• 29 HEIs spent more on protection than income – 72 HEIs had more income

• 13 >£1M (#1 £9M, #2 £3M), 6 >£0.5M and 19 >£0.1M• Collaborative Research £651 - £783 million 8% • Consultancy £242 - £288 million 3%

AURIL is the largest knowledge transfer professional body in the UK and Ireland

dedicated to • Developing partnerships between higher

education, business and the community • Supporting innovation and competitiveness • Representing industrial liaison, knowledge/

technology transfer, commercialisation, research administration specialists in UK and Rep. of Ireland

AURIL Offers

• Ability to influence national thinking eg funders, Government, industry and other stakeholders

• Exchange of best practice through the development of policies, processes, guidelines and procedures and their measurement and performance monitoring

• Networking and collaborative partnerships – Annual Conference, GINNN ‘professional-social network’, SIG/Professional themes

An Example: Lambert Agreements 2004-2009http://www.innovation.gov.uk/lambertagreements/

• Idea to provide ‘standard’ contracts for 5 common forms of University-Industry Collaboration– Reduce negotiation time,Support ‘naïve’ negotiators

• Findings of 2009 not officially available … – Lambert ‘4’ most popular– Industry still sees

• IP policy, bureaucracy and influence of legal professionals as main barriers to KT

– Universities still see• Lack of resources as an issue and to a lesser extent

those above

KT Training-Learning from Experience

• KT as Project Management with a twist does not work

• KT is a loose collection of defined competencies eg legal

• KT is an interfacing role between many stakeholders

KT Training - Institute for Knowledge Transferwww.ikt.org.uk

• Stakeholders through IKT recognise relevant external ie not IKT provided training for definable competences

• Effectiveness is the ability to call on and manage expertises

• Fellow practitioners recognise effectiveness and elect Members

• Mentor network starting October ‘08

Next Steps

• Professional association for University/PSRO KT Units to foster dialogue with – IP users – Government – Own institution

• Professional association for KT individuals to develop the individual skills and esprit de corps

KT is an Emerging Profession

• Older professions can be more prescriptive about knowledge bases eg law, medicine

• KT may be more rigidly defined in future• Present needs satisfied by diversity of skills and

origins• Interpersonal skills vital