Turning Science into Business

Academic inventions are becoming a more important source of technological innovation and a basis for new business start-ups. Universities and other public research organisations (PROs) are racing to patent and license inventions and other forms of intellectual property such as software. Not only does the licensing of these patents generate additional revenue for research and education, but it encourages entrepreneurial activities among scientists, faculty and students. This report presents the results of the first international survey on the patenting and licensing activities of public research organisations in OECD countries. It includes data on the stock and number of patents and licenses, the amount of licensing revenue, the size and activities of technology transfer offices, the types of licensing agreements concluded with firms, as well as information on the government and institutional policies for owning and exploiting intellectual property. In addition to the survey results, policy makers, business managers and university and research administrators will find several case studies on how OECD countries from Canada to Japan are moving to unlock the social and economic benefits of public research. Practitioners in technology transfer will find in-depth examples of how public research organisations in Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Korea, Switzerland, Spain and the United States manage their intellectual property portfolios. These case studies will also provide insight into how these countries deal with issues such as whether to license a patent or create a spin-off, how to create technology transfer programmes and how to license IP to firms while preserving access for future research and discovery.