Technology Transfer In The Context of EU-EECA Relations

Giles Brandon

Principal Consultant

Intelligentsia Consultants Ltd

What is Technology Transfer?

“Technology transfer is the process by which a developer of technology (e.g. university, research

institution or company) makes its technology available to a commercial partner that will exploit

the technology.”*

*Based on WIPO definition

Tech-Transfer Is Not Easy!

• Xerox Palo Alto Research Centre (PARC)

• Founded 1970 on Stanford University campus

• Xerox invested $150m during first 14 years

• Developed 1st PC, mouse, laser printing & LAN

• Tech-transfer barriers:– Company only in the business of office copiers– No effective mechanisms to transfer to manufacturing and marketing– Culture clash between Xerox PARC and Xerox headquarters

• “Only” laser printing was commercialised

Why Is Tech-Transfer Important?

Licensing income per university (€k)“Is Europe lagging behind the US in university technology licensing?”, Conti & Gaulé, 2009

Tech-Transfer At Oxford University

• Isis Innovation Ltd• Helps Oxford University commercialise its Intellectual Property• Turnover: £7.5m (2010)• Manages 368 patents• Signed 250 technology licence and consulting deals (2010)

Isis Innovation Annual Report 2010

Moscow Institute Of Electronic Technology (MIET) Innovation Complex

Indicator 1999 2002 2004 2006 Number of small high tech firms 10 40 70 160 Volume of sales (€m) 2.2 14.6 35.7 72.1 Volume of investments (€m) 1.5 9.1 14.3 23.1 Number of MIET professors working at small firms

2 8 30 60

Number of students trained at small firms

35 150 260 440

Number of graduates hired by high tech companies located in the cluster

30 120 220 470

INNO Policy TrendChart – Russia - 2007

EU-EECA Transnational Techology-Transfer

• Enterprise Europe Network (Armenia & Russia members)

• Gate to Russian Business and Innovation Networks (Gate2RuBIN)

• Russian Technology Transfer Network

• Franco-Russian Technology Network

• Centre of Engineering and Technology Transfer, Kazakhstan

• Republican Centre for Technology Transfer, Belarus

• Technology Transfer Agency, Uzbekistan

• Agrobaltika Ltd, Kaliningrad• Design software for polder systems • Signed agreement (2009)

– Silute Polders

– Silute District Administration

• Technical cooperation– Tested new software applications

– Adapted software to local needs

– Analysed Silute polder systems

• Plan to reconstruct Silute polders

Russia-Lithuania Tech-Transfer

EastLink Parallel Session: Technology Transfer In The Context Of EU-EECA

Relations

• Practical examples of EU-EECA technology transfer

• Practical advice on “what to do” and “what not to do!”

• New opportunities for EU-EECA technology transfer