On 28-31 October 2008, through RER/0/023 Strategic Planning for Management, Self-reliance, and Sustainability of National Nuclear Institutions the regional training course on Innovation, Technology Transfer and successful Technology Licensing (STL) in research and development institutes took place in Vienna.
The course is the first event organized in partnership by the IAEA and WIPO.
WIPO, the United Nation's specialized agency dealing with intellectual property (IP), developed and co-sponsored the course, recruiting all the lecturers. Lecturers were professionals in the field of IP, transfer of technology and licensing, with different profiles ranging from patent attorneys, to technology managers and business executives. In addition, Mr Le Goff, CERN technology transfer Head, presented CERN developed policy to promote technology transfer.
The IAEA recruited most of the participants, which were researchers or technology managers of the Research and Development Institutes involved in nuclear research and policy makers from Ministries or Science Innovation Fund.
The course was organized within the framework of the regional TC project RER/0/023 "Strategic Planning for Management, Self-reliance, and Sustainability of National Nuclear Institutions" that started in 2004 to support Research and Development Institutes (RDIs) working in nuclear applications in Central and Eastern Europe.
Several institutes expressed their interest in learning about technology transfer, licensing, patenting and good practices in commercialization and protection of intellectual property rights. Currently only few of the RDIs surveyed have a policy on IP protection and commercialization and most are at an early stage of development of this area.
The course provided basic knowledge on intellectual property and its role in innovation promotion and technology transfer. It explained the concept of open innovation and provided practical training on legal and organizational infrastructure for efficient transfer of technology in the context of R&D institution.
In addition, the course explained licensing, the key terms of a licensing agreement and provided an opportunity to the participants to apply the knowledge acquired through the simulation of licensing negotiation.
Researchers and RDIs managers are getting increasingly aware of the importance of this topic in the modern Science & Technology context, including the nuclear sector. However, innovation and technology transfer are complex issues that require specialized skills and well trained personnel.
The participant feedback showed that the concepts of IP and technology transfer are largely new concepts that require significant capacity building and training.
The potential benefit of intellectual property protection and commercialization is still largely unexplored in nuclear RDIs in Central and Esatern Europe. The course was an important first step to fill the gap.
WIPO is the United Nation's specialized agency dealing with the issue of intellectual property (IP), including norm setting and administration of IP international treaties, such as the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), providing legal and technical assistance for its Member States in the areas of protection, enforcement and strategic use of IP. WIPO promotes better understanding of intellectual property as a tool for economic growth and offers capacity building training programs for policy makers and IP users in the Member States. For more information about WIPO and the training activities offered: www.wipo.org
Relevant Documents:
RER/0/23 PMO and Technical Officer: Marta FERRARI