Research and development (R&D) is a key driver of innovation and competitiveness in many industries. However, not all R&D activities result in valuable intellectual property (IP) that can be protected and monetized. How can you identify the most promising R&D IP for your business and avoid wasting time and resources on low-potential projects? Here are some tips to help you.
Before you start any R&D project, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve and how it aligns with your business strategy. What are the problems or opportunities you are trying to address? What are the benefits and risks of pursuing them? What are the market needs and customer expectations? How do you measure your success and progress? By defining your R&D goals, you can focus on the most relevant and feasible outcomes and avoid getting distracted by irrelevant or unrealistic ideas.
Simply ask this question: who's your customer? who is ready to pay for your R&D outcome and who will benefit from it? if the answer is not straightforward then your project has no practical application or at least it has no clear added value to the Market.
The effective identification of R&D intellectual property involves a multi-faceted approach: conducting regular audits to uncover potential IP assets, understanding the different types of IP and what they protect, ensuring employee awareness and training in IP matters, maintaining rigorous documentation and record-keeping of R&D activities, and consulting with IP professionals for expert advice. By integrating these practices, companies identify white and grey areas in the prospective field and can safeguard their innovations, maintain a competitive edge, and fully capitalize on their intellectual property assets.
Es importante entender que para una empresa o una organización es necesario un portfolio de propiedad intelectual en desarrollo equilibrado en riesgo. Al menos un peque?o porcentaje de la I+D debe dedicarse a proyectos de alto riesgo y alto valor, que cambiarían de forma importante el propio valor de la compa?ía. Deben ser entorno a horizontes no evidentes, tecnologías emergentes, innovaciones radicales. Otro porcentaje de la I+D debe ser para proyectos de medio plazo, riesgo medido, que se puedan evaluar más claramente su impacto. Finalmente un porcentaje es para mejoras increméntales, de producto o servicio que permite seguir creando valor en los productos ya existentes.
To effectively identify valuable R&D intellectual property, it is crucial to establish a strategic framework. This entails setting clear business objectives, maintaining meticulous documentation, and educating teams on the significance of intellectual property. Regularly conducting IP audits, monitoring competitors, and seeking collaborations with experts can provide additional insights. Additionally, performing thorough patent searches and market research helps to gauge demand.
To identify valuable R&D intellectual property, you can use a variety of methods. One of the most common methods is to evaluate patent value. Patents provide a way for businesses to keep their ideas safe from other users. For this reason, it is important for investors to know how to calculate a patent’s value and account for it. There are several methodologies to value patents depending on the type of patent and whether the patent is likely to produce future cash flows or not. Another approach is to use IP-driven Research & Development (IP R&D) which is an emerging area using as a powerful tool to seek efficient and effective innovation and successful commercialization of R&D results by engaging IP in the whole cycle of R&D activities.
One of the best ways to identify valuable R&D IP is to conduct a patent search. A patent search is a systematic analysis of existing patents and patent applications related to your R&D topic. It can help you to discover the state of the art, the gaps and opportunities, the competitors and collaborators, and the potential legal and technical challenges. By conducting a patent search, you can avoid reinventing the wheel, infringing on others' rights, or missing out on valuable insights and trends.
Every R&D project must be evaluated for patentability and Freedom to Operate. Once Patentability is established, protect your invention by filing a patent application.
Conducting a patent search can help teams to gain a comprehensive understanding of the existing patents and patent applications related to your R&D topic, and to identify the gaps and opportunities in the field. By analyzing the state of the art, you can avoid reinventing the wheel and wasting resources on developing something that already exists. Additionally, a patent search can help you to identify potential legal and technical challenges, such as patent infringement or invalidity, and to develop strategies to overcome them. However, it is important to note that there are also some risks associated, such as missing key prior art or not finding all relevant patents, that's when additional tools or professional consultation come handy.
A patent search should be the start of any R&D journey. It is worthless to reinvent the wheel. The questions to be answered during a patent search includes: A. Is this new and unique? B. Is somebody else doing the same?C. Is it worth it to invest in?
Buscar patentes existentes primero te puede ayudar a no investigar algo que ya existe y en lo mismo planificar una diferenciacion de la solucion que desde ya vas pensando en funcion de tus objetivos.
Its worth to consider that patent search and in general importance of registered IP would depend on the technology sector. Some industries rely heavily on trade secret and know-hows. Understanding prior art would perhaps a better way to describe Step 2.
Once you have generated some R&D IP, it’s important to evaluate its value and potential. Different methods and criteria exist depending on your industry, objectives, and resources. However, the novelty, utility, protectability, and profitability of the R&D IP should all be considered. For example, the IP should be original and unique, solving a real problem or meeting a real demand. It should also be easy and effective to protect your rights in the IP. Lastly, the IP should be profitable and sustainable, with a competitive edge or a niche position that offers long-term value. By evaluating your R&D IP, you can prioritize the most promising and profitable projects and allocate your resources accordingly.
Other than value and potential, enforceability is another important factor to ponder. If this is difficult it’s best to keep it as a trade secret.
This is a crucial step in determining its value and potential. There are several methods and criteria that can be used to evaluate R&D IP, depending on the industry, objectives, and resources. However, some of the key factors that should be considered include novelty, utility, protectability, and profitability. Novelty refers to the originality and uniqueness of the IP, while utility refers to its ability to solve a real problem or meet a real demand. Protectability refers to the ease and effectiveness of protecting your rights in the IP, while profitability refers to the potential financial returns of the IP. It is also important to consider whether the IP has a competitive edge or a niche position that offers long-term value.
Evaluation has some certain criteria for screening. 1. If invention pertains to unique structural essence with respect to its function, then Design based IPR can be helpful. 2. Once you've patented your design, then the next step becomes the protection of your utility patent based IPR. At the time of analysing potential design, it will tell you how effective & impactful it can be. 3. If the utility aspect exists in design then look for Provisional utility patent IPR. Otherwise it is better to first work on the development & validation of designed prototype. Hence the apporach becomes Furgal
Another important step to identify valuable R&D IP is to communicate it effectively to your stakeholders. These may include your managers, investors, partners, customers, or regulators. You need to be able to explain what your R&D IP is, why it matters, how it works, and what it can do. You also need to consider the best format, channel, and timing to deliver your message. For example, you may use a pitch deck, a white paper, a demo, or a press release. By communicating your R&D IP, you can increase its visibility, credibility, and attractiveness.
Communications preferably need to focus on the benefits of the technology rather than the features. This will help to evaluate the market feedback for the potential solution and enable pivoting/optimisation the solution according to the market feedback received.
The best way to communicate valuable R&D IP starts with internal disclosure within your organization. Engage with IP resources like IP managers and share your ideas to explore their potential for IP protection. Organize "IP mining sessions," where you present research and concepts to your team, including an IP expert. This expert can pinpoint elements in your ideas that are eligible for IP protection. Importantly, ensure all communications about your IP occur in a confidential setting, like within your organization or with third parties under non-disclosure agreements. Careless disclosure without securing IP rights can lead to misappropriation by third parties and jeopardize potential protections, particularly with patents.
Grant of an IP is just the beginning, the real challenge starts when it is communicated to a larger audience. The novelty, utility, accessibility, costing, etc. should be well pitched before the internal IP experts and team members. Once it gets the green flag from the organisation, the idea should be pitched in various pitch decks ( govt. And non govt.). Further modes are press release events, social media campaigns, advertising (online, print, email, paid etc. ). A prototype (for product) and a simulation video ( for process) give additional edge during the IP communication.
Finally, you need to monitor your R&D IP regularly and update it as needed. The R&D landscape is constantly changing and evolving, and so is your R&D IP. You need to keep track of the latest developments, feedback, and results related to your R&D IP. You also need to be aware of any changes in the market, customer, or legal environment that may affect your R&D IP. By monitoring your R&D IP, you can identify new opportunities, challenges, or threats, and adjust your strategy accordingly.
To identify valuable R&D IP, it's crucial to actively monitor your IP landscape. This monitoring keeps you informed about current trends and developments in innovation, preventing duplication of efforts on already existing solutions. It also guides towards areas that have not yet been explored, directing inventive efforts towards truly novel and potentially patentable ideas. A key resource for this monitoring is patent databases. These databases allow you to search for the latest patent applications in specific fields, providing insights into what competitors are developing and where there are gaps in the market. This also helps in staying ahead of the curve, ensuring your R&D efforts are aligned with current technological advancements.
R&D IP is a longterm asset and has to be protected like one. IP is what differentiates one entity from another. The stronger the IP better are your chances to capitalize on future market opportunity, both as '1st mover' advantage and being 'inimitable'. A strong monitoring of landscape not only keeps one aware of the competition but also helps in planning future market strategies in an optimal way
Collaborating with legal experts to assess the uniqueness and market relevance of the technology, its competitive advantages, and its potential for commercialization. Monitoring your R&D IP by looking at industry trends can also enhance the identification process.
Wie k?nnte ich sagen, dass rechtliche Fragen nicht wichtig sind...aber - auch aus meiner Erfahrung - gut und wichtig ist, was der Kunde gut und wichtig findet. Das ist durchaus mein Fokus.
Do an infringement survey. Just because you have a patent doesn't mean you can sell a product. Do not patent that which cannot be reverse engineered. The best IP are trade secrets.
The R&D goals don't end up always in generating IPs. Further, having an IP doesn't guarantee a superior product/process. In the competitive and globalised market economy, any product or process can be replicated using reverse engineering. Hence, the focus of the R&D should revolve around solving the real world problems. If IPs are generated in the process, then quality of research is enhanced. IPs without reach of the market or people are just for personal or organizational satisfaction; nothing else.
The patents worth filing are those that are likely to be obtained to give broad/strong coverage of the technology that has an existing market or potential high value. In some countries, cross-licensing of patents is common, while in others it is only to protect your rights to make or use while limiting competitors. The patent also must be easy to detect infringement and enforce.
Most companies have a system for a researcher to file a patent disclosure and others proactively ask researchers and business teams to help identify suitable technologies to patent, publish or keep trade secret. However, not all ideas are worth pursuing and in the end a team of people including scientists, lawyers, marketing experts and business team decide which invention disclosures should move forward into the patenting process. This team is often headed by the senior patent attorney or business director. The cost of pursuing, getting and maintaining each patent are significant overhead costs to the business. The lawyer determines, with input from the team, where to file IP globally to match the business objectives and strategies.
Research and Development|Nutrition Sciencel Product Innovation| Intellectual Property
Screen using an invention disclosure form which consists specifically designed questions according to your company ip strategy.