The different forms of Technology Transfer
The term Technology may mean actual technology (for instance, a medical instrument), but it may also mean knowledge or expertise. It could also mean a database or a technology platform such as a unique protein production technology. It may vary from a new type of vaccine originating in the Faculty of Medicine, to a new research and data storage model developed by the Faculty of Sciences.
The way best suited for turning your discovery into marketable innovation depends on the type of opportunity it represents, and overall we distinguish 4 different forms:
- Out-licensing a patent
- Setting up a spin-off company
- Closing a Contract research deal with industry
- Setting up a Strategic partnership with industry
The TTO will work with the university’s scientists to determine the best road into the market place. Platform technologies or data management systems that have different applications may form sufficient base for founding a company, if the market is right. For services in diagnostics or imaging, it may be better to establish strategic partnerships with industry. When your discovery concerns a single-use application, again, a collaboration with industrial partners may be the preferred route. In many instances, these discoveries first need to be protected (see "the process of patenting").
Research contracts with companies represent technology pull-companies seeking to improve products and processes sought by customers by engaging academic researchers. Companies also actively seek innovation, in particular pharmaceutical companies. One example is Merck, which declares on its website:
“At Merck, partnering is an essential component of our strategy to discover and develop novel medicines that meet major unmet medical needs.”
As a general rule, strategic partnerships with industry are beginning to rise substantially at many universities, and far outstrip the value generated through licensing and spin-offs. The TTO offers all services related to establish contracts for such partnerships.
Should there be a solid base for setting up a company, then the TTO works with the scientists and a team of business, financial, legal and patent experts in working out the best conditions for launching a spin-off company. One important element is getting access to the many financial instruments that are available to start new companies, and another is providing access to market analyses and choosing the best business model. During this start-up phase, spin-offs are usually still closely related to the research departments from which they originated, and TTO is also instrumental in setting up the appropriate research collaboration agreements between the university, the spin-off and the scientists involved.
