The road to knowledge transfer is not always the same. It all depends on the type of invention and technology, and on what the market will offer for that invention. Knowledge transfer may also involve exploitation of expertise of university faculty members in collaborations with industry. Learn more about the different forms of Knowledge Transfer.

Ownership of any invention made by university scientists vests with the university, and the technology transfer offices of every university determine whether an invention is patentable, and whether it will be worthwhile to actually file a patent. This is dictated by whether the technology and patent can in fact be commercialized, and a market analysis is therefore an important part of the decision making process. Inventors share in the income generated from patents, once they are licensed to third parties or exploited in other ways.

To ensure that business, industry and user communities get the full benefit of the many sources of innovation at the VU and VUmc, we actively foster partnerships with companies and public institutions. The TTO provides a full range of supportive activities to manage these partnerships. Promoting technology transfer, managing intellectual property, and commercializing expertise are all parts of those activities. Each year, several spin-outs are founded, between 10 and 20 patents are filed, and multiple research collaboration deals are made.