Building patent exchange and the Nordic Regional Technology Transfer Network Dr' Gert Balling, Speci

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Building patent exchange and the Nordic Regional
Technology Transfer NetworkDr. Gert Balling,
Special Advisor, Secretary General of the
National Network for Technology Transfer, Denmark.
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The Nordic Countries
5

• 1. Denmark
• 2. Norway
• 3. Sweden
• 4. Finland
• 5. Island

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Nordic Characteristics

• Smaller homogeneous societies (Population 5-9
  million)
• A relatively large part of the public have
  university degrees
• Universities are public institutions
• Universities are spread out all over the
  countries
• University education is free of charge
• Universities takes part in the political agenda
  regarding regional economic development.
• Universities follow the globalisation challenge
  expanding the focus on research and teaching to
  embrace generic, academic innovations and
  exploitation of cooperation with industry as well.

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WEF Global Competitiveness Report 2006-2007

• 1. Switzerland
• 2. Finland
• 3. Sweden
• 4. Denmark
• 5. Singapore
• 6. US
• 7. Japan
• 8. Germany
• 9. Netherlands
• 10. UK

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Sweden- University TTO

• The Karolinska Institute
• The biggest techtrans unit in the Nordic
  Countries. 20-25 people, holding company for
  equity og start-up companies and two development
  funds. More than 200 mio. VC.
• Chalmers Technical University
• Lund University
• The Royal Technical University
• University of Uppsala
• University of Gothenburg
• University of Linköping

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Sweden- Professors privillege

• Many universities have their own TT Units
• University researchers have the rights to their
  own inventions inventor can therefore choose
  between several commercialisation routes.

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Sweden- Lund University, innovation system
players


Industrifonden etc
Teknoseed
Lumitec
LUAB Utvecklingsbidrag
Teknopol
Ideon
LU Innovation
Growth
Ideon Innovation
Affärsänglar
Company established at the markets.
Development
CONNECT
TBS Villkorslån
Company grows and adjusts according to market
contact.
VentureHubs
Start
Research and education
Spin out start of commercialization
Process
Education
Innovation Skåne
Project
VentureCup
VentureLab
Project test, development etc.
Research
Idea
Business dvpt.
Financing
Incubators
Ideas
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Finland- Towards university ownership and
inventor compensation

• 1967. Act on the Right in Employee Inventions
  (doesnt count in the university professors)
• 2005. Amendment of the University Act.
  (Universities shall interact with surrounding
  society and promote societal impact)
• 2006. Act on the Right in Employee Inventions
  (University does not have the right to
  researchers and professors inventions, but
  rights can be transferred through contracts)
• 2007. Removal of Researchers exemption
  (compensation based on net income 50 to
  inventor, 30 to university unit, 20 to
  university)

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Denmark- Towards university ownership and
inventor compensation

• Danish Bayh-Dole Act (L347) of June 1999 focuses
  on the increasing co-operation between research
  institutions and businesses to make new knowledge
  and competence available to Danish society.

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Denmark- Towards university ownership and
inventor compensation
Split 33 Inventor Institute Institution
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Denmark- The National Network for Technology
Transfer

• The National Network for Technology Transfer is
  an alliance between 14 public research
  institutions (all patent active research
  institutions in Denmark). Established 2005.
• The Danish Agency for Science, Technology and
  Innovation is co-funding the Network together
  with the member institutions
• Based on patenting and commercialization of
  research results from public research
  institutions
• Competence developing events (1 a week)
• Website www.techtrans.dk, patent exchange
  www.patentbors.dk
• Visibility towards industry (branding/PR, think
  tanks, joint events, book series etc.)
• Expanding international contacts
• Contribute to the commercialization survey
  (closely monitored since 2000. No anonymity on
  performance)
• Represented at the board of ASTP and ProTon
  Europe (two of the three large European
  Technology Transfer organisations).

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Denmark- Public Research Commercialization
Survey, 2005/2006

• 2000 Start
• 2005 a break through in commercial results
• 281 invention disclosures, 87 patent
  applications, 81 agreements licensing or
  assigning IPR, 95 active licences, 13 new spin
  outs.
• 2006 Increase in income more income than
  expenses
• 368 invention disclosures, 108 patent
  applications, 115 agreements licensing or
  assigning IPR, 103 active licences, 16 new spin
  outs.

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Denmark- Public Research Commercialization
Survey. - agreements licensing or assigning
IPR - Spin outs
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Comparative analysis of commercialization of
public research results (based on latest
available statistics)
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Denmark- The Danish Patent Exchange 2006 -
Background and objectives

• Denmark consists of many smaller and middle-sized
  public research institutions organized under the
  National Network of Technology Transfer.
• Wish to increase the effectiveness of the TT
  sales process
• Wish to aid industry in finding the technologies
  it needs
• The service was to be linked to the internet
  platform of www.techtrans.dk (one-stop-shop-Denmar
  k) and base the patent exchange on an
  internet-based infrastructure

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Denmark- The Danish Patent Exchange 2006 -
Platform Issues

• Important to present inventions in a way
  non-specialists can understand
• Easy-to-use tool - based on customer needs and
  using categories from the earlier patent
  consortia that users were familiar with
• Produce test site and test-subsites
• Big usability test with different segments of the
  primary user groups to be sure that the final
  result matched the expectations of the actual
  user
• The platform was to secure an easy quality
  control on update and searchability

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Denmark- techtrans.dk
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Demark- The Danish Patent Exchange 2006 -
Attention

• 3 examples on how to get attention to the patent
  exchange
• Presence of the Secretariat at important
  conferences and market places giving business
  cards away and promoting the system with a live
  audience
• Automatic generation of data base information to
  other platforms like Flintbox
• Cooperation with big matchmakers like RTI,
  Competitive Technologies, IRC etc. based on the
  patent exchange

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Nordic TT Network- Background

• Many different actors and approaches to
  incubation processes in the Nordic countries
• Relatively little collaboration among the
  regional innovation systems
• Lack of information flow between Nordic TT
  offices
• Standing start in new technology and market areas

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Nordic TT Network- Specific Objectives

• To develop a network between Nordic TT actors for
  enhancing performance of individual regional
  innovation systems
• To bring the Nordic TT community closer together
  by forming a Nordic regional TT forum
• To base the Nordic Regional TT Network on an
  e-based infrastructure
• To cross-fertilize the regional innovation
  environment

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Nordic TT Network- Manchester Universitys
Knowledge Pool system.
Figure made by Mark Thompson, Manchester
University
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Nordic TT Network- Benefits for Business Partners

• Regional Technology Transfer units and innovation
  actors
• Connecting peers
• Bring TT community closer together
• Simple way of searching for IP
• Technology corporates and technology
  Brokers/Scouts
• Simple way of searching for IP
• Science Park Business Development/tenant support
  people
• Connecting tenants with TTO projects
• Helping tenants seeking new IP
• Innovation Relay Centre people
• Helping client SMEs identify specific IP
• Patent agents
• Adding value to clients

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Contact details

• The national Network for Technology Transfer,
  Denmark
• Secretary General Gert Balling
• Phone [phone]
• E-mail gba_at_adm.dtu.dk
• Web www.techtrans.dkwww.patentbors.dk

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