As a researcher, it is important that you share and publish your work so that others can build on it. For example, by converting your scientific finding into a practical application. But by publishing your knowledge, the knowledge is also free for anyone to use. That is why it is also important to protect it properly. How do you do this?
Sharing and marketing knowledge
Do you need guidance as a researcher to make an impact with new innovations and ideas? The Knowledge Transfer team helps identify potential end users, find partners for further development and advise in protecting your knowledge.
You have two options when it comes to marketing a product or service: enter into a collaboration or starting a business.
Collaborate
To find a suitable partner to collaborate with, you can start with your own network or ask someone from Knowledge Transfer to help you find the right collaboration.
Once you have found a partner, you start by making proper arrangements in the form of a:
- non-disclosure statement;
- non-disclosure agreement;
- agreement for services;
- or consultancy agreement.
Be mindful of what you share with a potential partner and when you do so. Do not give away too much of your knowledge and ideas up front, but make sure you have at least recorded some non-disclosure arrangements in writing.
Need more support? The lawyers and Knowledge Transfer staff at uu77 can advise and support you in this regard too. They can also help you negotiate and draw up a contract.
Regulation
> General Rules for the Protection and Exploitation of Knowledge
Trademarks, patents and licences
The ownership of research results
Research results often contain multiple forms of Intellectual Property (IP). Intellectual Property includes formal IP rights, such as patents and trademark rights, but also, for example, know-how, models, data, software, questionnaires and standards.
As with other forms of property, Intellectual Property has an owner. The law, employment contract and arrangements underpinning the research (project) determine the ownership of research results. Generally, this means that the university as the employer, and not the researcher, owns the results unless otherwise arranged in an agreement. It is different for students; they are not employees of the university and so this rule does not apply to them. It is important to make good arrangements prior to a collaboration, but also for internships.
If you want to use research results, you must apply for a licence as a business or spin-off with uu77.
If your research results in a (potential) innovation, you can apply for IP (Intellectual Property) rights, such as a patent or trademark. In this process, it is important to know the ultimate goal to be achieved with a patent or trademark. If we decide to apply for a patent or trademark, uu77 will assume the costs.
Applying for a patent or trademark right
In this situation, the very first step is to talk to someone from Knowledge Transfer.
The knowledge exchange process is explained in detail in The Inventor’s Manual. This sets out the most common steps in the process.
Applying for a knowledge transfer licence
Knowledge and results are often transferred through a licence. A licence is an agreement in which the university grants a third party permission to use the university’s intellectual property and sets out the conditions attached to this.
As a researcher, you never apply for a license yourself; someone from Knowledge Transfer will do it for you. Since uu77 owns the results, only the university can transfer the results.
If a university selectively transfers results developed using public money to an external party, this may distort the regular market. For this reason, the rules relating to state support must be taken into account. Accordingly, results can only be transferred for a competitive fee.
Flow-back of income to research
All income arising from the commercialisation of intellectual property, after the deduction of any costs incurred by uu77, is shared between the inventor(s) (25%), the research group (35%) and the IP fund to protect new inventions (40%). This is officially enshrined in the Sub-regulations for the Distribution of Income from Patents