R&D, Innovation and Commercialisation – three Knowledge Transfer mechanisms that will give you a competitive edge

Innovative companies are competitive companies. Innovative companies drive for process and product improvement. And that’s where working with the publicly funded research base can help. Once you have identified a specific business need that could benefit from further insight or practical research and development, you’re off to a good start. As mentioned in my previous post, your next step might be to contact the Technology Transfer Office in your local research organisation or to visit the Knowledge Transfer Ireland website to help clarify what’s available to help you and which research organisation is the right fit for you to work with. 

Broadly there are three main knowledge transfer mechanisms which allow your business benefit from the research, expertise and resources in Ireland’s Higher Education Institutions (i.e. Universities or Institutes of Technology) and research organisations. The route you choose will be determined largely by what you need to achieve, your timescale and the funding available. The mechanisms, described further below, do not take into account one of the most valuable ways in which a company can access new knowledge and skills – through hiring talented graduates and postgraduates.

1)    Research Collaboration is the process through which a company embarks on a project with researchers and their teams, usually to address a specific research challenge that has presented itself.  This kind of collaborative project allows you to access knowledge, expertise and resources that might not be available in your company. The project may be carried out solely in the research institution but might also involve work by the company and its staff. Funding for collaborative research projects may come fully from the company or may be part funded by the company with the rest coming from a State grant or some other form of award, such as EU funding. The nature of research means that outcomes can’t be guaranteed, but you will share findings and mature the collaboration as the project progresses. Outputs from the project and the way in which these can be leveraged by your company will be covered in the Collaborative Research Agreement that will be signed between parties before the project begins. For more information, you might like to read our KTI Practical Guide to Collaborative Research Agreements. I will focus in more detail on research collaboration and the supports available in my next post. If you are interested in research collaboration, you may like to come to the KTI Conference 2016 “Innovation through Collaboration” that we are hosting in November. You can find more details here.  

2)    Consultancy is a great way for companies to get specific advice and help with problem solving and can be a good way to dip a toe into the waters of working with researchers. The company will usually specify the problem and the HEI) or research organisation will develop a project plan which will include deliverables. Consultancy engagements are usually short-term and paid for fully by the company. There is no expectation of publication of results. The type of consultancy services available to a company might include: specialist advice or guidance; laboratory based testing; data evaluation and assessment; provision of reports and recommendations etc. The consultancy project and arrangements governing it, should be fully described in the Consultancy Agreement, a template of which can be found in the KTI Practical Guide to Consultancy Agreements and which should be signed before the work begins.

3)    Licensing allows a company specific rights to intellectual property (IP) that might have arisen in a collaborative research project or may have been developed independently by the HEI or research organisation.  A licence to IP provides a certain freedom to operate under the IP which gives you (the “licensee”) the confidence to pursue commercial development. The type and scope of the licence and the associated fees payable, will be determined by the need and potential of the licensee and the origin or derivation of the IP. Licences may be exclusive or non-exclusive to a particular company and may be restricted to certain Fields and Territories of operation. The licence will be negotiated with you by the Technology Transfer Office (TTO) within the Higher Education Institute or research organisation. You can find more information along with a template Licence Agreements in the KTI Practical Guide to Licence Agreements.

To find out more about knowledge transfer in Ireland visit www.knowledgetransferireland.com where you can also download copies of the full suite of KTI Practical Guides and KTI Model Agreements.