Early Stage Report 2015: Rosa Fernandez, head of research, National Centre for Universities and Business looks at how movement of IP is removing restrictions.

Intellectual properties (IP) are knowledge assets that both universities and business create, but to own and manage these assets they require legal rights. When most people think of IP they think of the rights that attribute ownership rather than of the knowledge content of the asset.

IP rights typically take the form of a document, such as a patent or copyright, which describes the knowledge content and attributes ownership. The rightful owner – person, institution or company – of this asset can then trade access to the knowledge content, often for money, using licence agreements.

Easy Access IP offers a simplified one-page licence agreement for universities to release some of their IP for free, to put it to the best use possible. Before the NCUB report on progress in the take-up of Easy Access IP, “one-page licence” and “for free” were the two memorable things that had resonated about the scheme. Now, we hope there will be a broader understanding that:

  • Rights over IP are just the visible tip of the iceberg of knowledge assets in universities – and in business.
  • Not all knowledge assets are the same.
  • A single right of ownership or type of use would not maximise the value of every asset, either for the owner or for society.

Universities – and business – release a lot of knowledge “for free”, including knowledge assets such as publications, but also knowledge over which they have no documented rights, such as informal advice or training received by students and employees.

Beyond quantifying progress in the take-up of the specific “one-page licence to release IP for free” understanding of Easy Access IP, our report underlines the fact that there are many paths already in place for crossing the “valley of death” – the funding gap that lies between an idea being deemed fit for development (a patent is taken) and it being low-risk enough for a firm to take it forward (a licence is bought).

Admittedly, more bridges need building – but not at the expense of burning others that are already in use. Not everyone needs to use the same bridge at the same time.

Easy Access IP is one way for inventors to reach out to users of their ideas, particularly those users who want to test new ideas without having to commit to making them succeed. Sometimes inventors and users agree a commitment to success, and in this case sharing the profits through licensing works better than free access for both parties.

How do these mythical agreements come about? It is the role of knowledge asset managers, including tech transfer offices, to co-ordinate the growing portfolio of IP in our research base and how it is released for exploitation. We worked with them for this report and reflect their views in it.

These professionals work constantly to bring afloat the range of intellectual assets from the iceberg that sits beneath the IP rights tip, and naturally they welcome new tools for this.

For the sector as a whole, interest in Easy Access IP has contributed to raised awareness of knowledge asset management and the challenges it presents. For the NCUB, it is renewed evidence that university-business collaboration is principally mediated by people.

This guest comment was first published by trade body PraxisUnico. Reprinted with permission