University Intellectual Property Research Articles

Breaking the financial bottleneck of local universities of China: an analysis of the current situation of university intellectual property

PurposeWith the global economic slowdown in 2023, most universities in the central and western regions of China may face the problem of shortage of government financial funding, which is directly related to the development of science and technology of the universities. With the support of the local government, most of the ordinary universities have shifted attention to the transfer and transformation of intellectual property based on school-enterprise cooperation, hoping to seek more commercialization income as an extra source of income. Therefore, this paper aimed to study the current situation of university intellectual property, i.e. the reserve and distribution of transferable patents, discipline distribution of patents, and regional cooperation of university patents.Design/methodology/approachA patent database of 10 key universities in Henan Province of China from 2012 to 2021 was established. The evaluation indicator model by the Entropy method was conducted to reveal the interaction mechanism between quantity indicators, quality indicators, and value indicators. Based on the data analysis, the development direction of the discipline construction and school-enterprise cooperation for local universities was clear.FindingsThe findings indicated that the number of patent applications from ten key universities in Henan Province has been increasing rapidly over the years. The trend for authorized invention patents has remained relatively stable. Compared with the patent applications and authorizations, the growth of transferable patents was notably slow. The significance of strategic layout of dominant disciplines and related high-value patents was not appreciated enough by Chinese government and universities. There was a large difference of dominant disciplines between 10 key universities, and the patent level of each university was directly proportional to the number of dominant disciplines. The university patent level heavily relied on the researchers' contributions and the distribution mechanism of scientific research resources within the university. Guangdong Province and the Yangtze River Delta of China, being economically developed regions, exhibited the most active engagement in patent technology cooperation. Conversely, the central and western regions displayed relatively lower participation in high-value patent research and development.Research limitations/implicationsThis study can provide a unique perspective to understand and solve the financial bottleneck problem of ordinary universities in the central and western regions of China. The discipline construction and school-enterprise cooperation are just one of the existing schemes, but it still cannot solve the financial problems faced by local universities in China towards the government.Practical implicationsThe findings of this study can serve as a foundation for further investigation into policies aimed at improving the financial problems of ordinary universities in the central and western regions of China.Originality/valueAs an important attempt, the study tried to focus the financial problem of universities in the central and western regions of China based on the evaluation of the current situation of university intellectual property. This research findings are of great value in finding optimal layout between university patents, disciplines and school-enterprise cooperation.

Breaking the financial bottleneck of local universities of China: an analysis of the current situation of university intellectual property

Breaking the financial bottleneck of local universities of China: an analysis of the current situation of university intellectual property

Research on practical teaching of innovation and entrepreneurship training program for college students based on big data analysis

Abstract This article explores how digital technologies such as big data and cloud computing promote college students’ innovation and entrepreneurship, especially the impact of innovation and entrepreneurship training programs on college students’ entrepreneurial intentions. The article adopts big data analysis techniques to screen variables, set research hypotheses, and use partial least squares regression to quantitatively analyze the correlation between university innovativeness and training programs. It was found that the number of university intellectual property rights was significantly associated with the objectives of the training program, with a regression coefficient of 0.069. Further, the article pointed out that most students believed that the regulation of the research segment was the weakest. Therefore, the article suggests improving the training program supervision system, significantly strengthening the supervision of the research session, and also explores the correlation between academic professional factors and faculty guidance.

FOSTERING INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AWARENESS IN ACADEMIC ENTREPRENEURSHIP

The importance of Intellectual Property (IP) in academic entrepreneurship, emphasises a need for specialised knowledge of IP law in university Technology Transfer Offices (TTOs), and general awareness of IP rules amongst university researchers, research assistants, and other university personnel. This helps not only in preventing the inadvertent loss of valuable IP, but also the infringement of IP owned by other parties, which could result in costly law suits. Equally, knowledge of IP law is indispensable to the effective negotiation of licences, and the drafting of contracts that cater for the interests of both universities and industry. The objective of this article is, accordingly, to provide academic entrepreneurs with insights into IP regimes. This should help them in identifying valuable IP, and in ensuring that protection is not compromised. It will also help in determining the modes of protection suitable for particular forms of IP, how to manage acquired rights, and tackle infringements. In the following sections, we discuss these issues from the perspectives of several jurisdictions. Traversing our discussion is an examination of university IP policies, and relevant case law, which should enhance understanding. The last segment of the article concludes and reiterates the importance of IP awareness in academic entrepreneurship. Therefore, this article aims at fostering awareness of IP regimes amongst academic entrepreneurs.

The challenges and opportunities of commercialisation

​Government is challenging New Zealand public research organisations to increase the rate of commercialisation of intellectual property (IP) and research findings. It is generally accepted that a high-tech economy offers the potential to increase GDP through exports of high-value products, and this view is well supported within universities. However, in practice, academic staff face conflicting incentives and pressures to invest their time and succeed in the university environment. Commercialisation managers work at the interface of the university culture and the external business world, and manage the conflicting philosophies and drivers of each side. Unlike ‘translators,’ these individuals add value by creating opportunities and proactively managing the supply and demand of early-stage, high-risk ideas. Viclink, the commercialisation arm of Victoria University of Wellington, has been in turnaround mode for the past 24 months in an aim to deliver increased value from its research and IP, and has seen first-hand the challenges of working in the market for innovation. New Zealand universities have approached and scoped their roles quite differently. Around the world different models and priorities exist for commercialisation and tech transfer of university IP. A recent case study on a clean tech start-up company highlights several of the observations and opportunities in commercialising publicly funded research, and on the relationships between inventors, commercialisation companies, incubators and investors. This discussion provides a summary of current challenges and opportunities in commercialisation, as observed by practitioners in a university setting.

From Pedagogy to Property: Copyright in Teaching Materials

Some university intellectual property policies claim the right to use some of the copyright-protected material that has been authored by academics. While the clauses in these policy instruments can vary in detail, the claim to use this material can extend to both traditional scholarly work, such as books and articles, together with teaching materials. This article considers whether the legal foundations for the claim are sound and whether the claim aligns with the characteristics of universities set out in the Education and Training Act 2020.

Diffusion of intellectual property knowledge in Zimbabwean universities: tools, programmes and strategies

Purpose This paper aims to explore the diffusion of Intellectual Property (IP) knowledge in universities in Zimbabwe. Specifically, the study examines the tools, policies, programmes and unique strategies used by the universities. Design/methodology/approach The paper reports the findings of a survey that was conducted on a population of lecturers (1,546), research officers (RO) (11), IP officer (1), faculty librarians (FLs) (27) and final year undergraduate students (9,224) at universities in Zimbabwe. Questionnaires were administered to the lecturers and students while interviews were administered to the IP officer, ROs and FLs. Data analysis comprised the use of Google forms and Microsoft Excel software. Findings The findings reveal diffusing IP knowledge in Zimbabwean universities involves mainly the use of policies and regulations, library web pages, workshops, although not specifically on IP, presentations on IP in the university, advice and guidance services and IP lectures/teaching. Research limitations/implications This study presents the IP situation in Zimbabwe and its findings may be applied to Africa and other developing countries. Practical implications This study endorses IP as a national issue and suggests a benchmark for diffusing knowledge on IP in Zimbabwean universities. Originality/value This study acknowledges the multi-disciplinary nature of IP and should lead to all university students graduating with adequate knowledge on IP.

A multi-criteria decision framework for IP valuation method selection: “Valuation case” matters

This paper explores the applicability of IP (Intellectual Property) valuation methods in the university TTOs context by using multi-criteria decision-making frameworks. The IP valuation methods are evaluated for their usage in university IP and Startup valuation, patent or patent-pending technologies, and different Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs). Data was collected through in-depth structured interviews and a Delphi survey with 17 experts. By descriptive analysis of responses and consensus rates, we proposed a combined multi-criteria decision-making model of Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) for university Technology Transfer Offices (TTOs) to be utilized in selecting appropriate IP Valuation methods. Findings reveal that more than one method should be used to make well-supported estimates for patent value. DCF method is the most suggested method. Income methods are most favourable on University IP, Startup's IP, non–patented or patent-pending, TRL 1–6 technologies. Findings can help valuation practitioners, especially from TTOs, design roadmaps for IP valuation.

The Protection and Countermeasures of University's Intellectual Property Rights Among Industry-University-Research (IUR) Cooperation

With the continuous development of Chinese industry-university-research (IUR)cooperation at present, the issue of intellectual property protection in universities has become a key issue of concern to the country and various universities. This paper will take Guangdong large bay area in China, for example, focus on Guangdong large bay area cooperation of intellectual property protection, combined with the national policy of university intellectual property protection laws and the large bay area university regulation of its cooperation, explore Guangdong large bay area cooperation on the protection of intellectual property rights, to the national and university cooperation on the protection of university intellectual property puts forward constructive Suggestions.

University libraries provide intellectual property information service in China: theoretical framework and system development

PurposeThere is no proposed solution to address the unresolved issues of constructing the Chinese university intellectual property information service system (IPISS) to promote the whole process service efficiency of IP creation, utilization, protection and management. The purpose of this paper is to propose a complete system, including theoretical framework and system development which addresses the existing difficulties to IP create, protect and transfer for researchers in universities. The paper shares the practice of utilizing the system developed by Wuhan University IP research team known as Wuhan University Intellectual Property Information Service System (WHU-IPISS).Design/methodology/approachFirst, the IPISS of 23 universities in China was investigated on the internet. Aiming at the deficiencies of the system, such as single service type, lack of patent display window, low management efficiency. This paper constructs the theoretical framework, proposes the IP ecological chain model, divides it into four sub-chains and carries on the functional design. Further, under the theoretical framework, the IPISS was developed, including the resource supply management system, user demand matching system, resource assessment system and expert support system. Finally, the system was applied to Wuhan University to provide IP services in the whole process for university researchers.FindingsWHU-IPISS realizes the functions of IP resource supply, demand matching, value evaluation and expert support. It solves the IP needs of university researchers and provides a guarantee for their technology research, patent portfolio, patent transfer and patent rights protection. It also improves the efficiency of IP service and can construct the IP ecosphere in universities.Originality/valueThe WHU-IPISS solution resolves issues of “How to develop the university IP whole process service model, fulfilling the IP service needs for universities' researchers”. The software will be released as open-source for other universities' use. The publishing model is also useful for those universities that intend to implement the IPISS.

The valorization of non-patent intellectual property in academic medical centers.

Turning university research output into useful products such as drugs, devices and diagnostics requires skills, knowledge, and resources traditionally attributed to private industry. When it comes to intangibles such as care delivery models, informatics and algorithms, and the software behind smart wearables, the commercialization challenges are even greater. With notable exceptions, Academic Medical Centers have typically not excelled in advancing commercialization of such non-patent intellectual property (IP). We believe that this is in part because the traditional closed form university IP policy, formulated since Bayh–Dole (1980), is ill-suited to non-patent IP. In this paper, we reflect on the evolving challenges that new forms of healthcare-related discoveries, specifically non-patent IP, are placing on the traditional university intellectual property and technology transfer regime, and to offer suggestions on how universities can begin to modernize their IP policies to support the valorization of non-patent IP.

Social Innovation and University Intellectual Property: Insights from the UK and Mexico

University intellectual property policies, and the accompanying strategies for incubation of IP via licensing and spin outs, have not received much analysis from academic lawyers. Moreover, despite the success of universities in the UK at generating income from IP, not much is known about how transferable this success is when considered in the light of a rapidly growing middle-income developing economy such as Mexico’s. In this article we analyse critically some of the key tenets of IP policies at universities in the UK to identify what the key legal principles underpinning university innovation are. We further consider the potential application of these principles in Mexico, where so far only a limited number of universities have developed IP policies and strategies in line with the incubator model. We explain how universities in Mexico could implement these research findings in their own IP policies. We further note that the mere provision of an IP policy is not a panacea – on its own it is insufficient for ensuring technology transfer and it may even encourage unnecessary patenting. Further investment in infrastructure and in establishing a culture of incubation and entrepreneurship is also required.

Trial for the Establishment of Effective System to Evaluate the Marketability of University Intellectual Property

Trial for the Establishment of Effective System to Evaluate the Marketability of University Intellectual Property

Mine, Yours, or Ours? Perceptions of Student-Created Intellectual Property Ownership

In this mixed-methods study, we examined student and administrator perceptions concerning student-created intellectual property (IP) ownership in the higher education setting. Survey results showed students had low levels of IP-related knowledge and worried that the university might claim ownership of their ideas or class projects. Students also reported inadequate communication from the university concerning IP policy rules and technology transfer processes. Interviews with campus IP administrators about student survey results led us to assert that communication inadequacies are perpetuating misunderstanding between students and university IP ownership intentions. Recommendations include implementation of several proactive communication activities and an IP training program for faculty.

Patent Strategy as a Key Component of Innovation Development in Universities

Category: conceptual article. The problem considered in the article is the failure of most Russian universities to develop intellectual property (IP) management strategies capable of meeting the challenges of the market. The importance that is currently attached to this issue concerns the national strategy for the scientifi c and technological development of the Russian Federation – in particular, as enshrined in the national project “Nauka” (Science). The goal of the work determined by the current situation is thus to formulate the structure of the strategic goals of universities in the field of intellectual property, as well as to identify and systematise typical strategies for their accomplishment. To achieve this goal, the following tasks were carried out within the framework of the study: 1) an analysis of Russian and foreign publications in order to systematise methodological approaches to the formation of the university’s patent strategy; 2) a systematisation of key performance indicators used in assessing the activities of universities in their reporting documents and ratings; 3) a collation of approaches to the formation of patent strategies of Russian universities, based on a comparative analysis of university-wide missions and goals, as well as general aims and strategies for managing intellectual property. The solutions to these problems formed the basis for a systematisation of approaches to the formation of patent strategies in Russian and foreign practice. It is proposed that patent strategy be considered as a vector of the development of university IP across such coordinates as the competitive behaviour model, as well as the volume, geographical distribution and structure of the patent portfolio with respect to target audiences (key consumers) and strategic partnerships. The conducted studies and generalisations, which will be used to support the innovation activity of UrFU, may also be useful to other universities of the Russian Federation for improving systems of innovation and intellectual property management.

Assessment of commercial feasibility of the device for the combined cutting of conducting materials by calculation of integrated koefficient

Authors have considered the problem points connected with commercialization of university intellectual property items in the field of electrochemistry, namely the device of electrochemical cutting of conducting materials. Key criteria for evaluation of an intellectual property item are designated. The method of calculation of commercial appeal which is most acceptable for this development on the basis of the generalized integrated coefficient, theoretically is offered and its commercial value is almost proved.

ENTREPRENEURIAL INTENTIONS OF RESEARCH SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS

Recognising the importance of the commercialisation of university intellectual property, the entrepreneurial intentions (EI) of research scientists and engineers at universities and science councils in South Africa are investigated. The study of intentions in an academic context has been recognised because of the potential of entrepreneurship to ignite new research knowledge. Following hypothesis testing, the results show that the EI antecedents of attitudes towards behaviour, social norms, and perceived behavioural control need to be treated systematically. By integrating these factors into one cohesive framework, policy makers may better understand the complexity of the antecedents involved in enhancing EI.

REALIZATION OF INTELLECTYAL PROPERTY RIGHTS IN RESEARCH UNIVERSITIES: THEORETICAL ASPECTS

The article outlines analysis of research university intellectual property rights realization as an intellectual property rights holder, based on legal provisions of Ukrainian legislation and theoretical approach.

Patents Go to The Market? University-Industry Technology Transfer from a Brazilian Perspective

The purpose of this paper is to explore the TT between university-industry from a Brazilian perspective, with special reference on the university Intellectual Property – IP and TT legal instruments. The methodology was designed on a quantitative approach aiming to provide a better understanding of the problem. Secondary data collection was performed through documentary analysis that aims to identify and quantify the variables related to patents, licensing and TT agreements. Later, data are grouped, classified and treated, which allowed inference and interpretation. The results show that the TT between university-industry is in an embryonic stage in Brazil, even if occurred a considerable increase of IP required over the last few years. In this context, it is possible to affirm that the academic research outcomes are not being absorbed in an effective way by the industries, and, as a consequence, just an insignificant percentage of the patents go to the market.

Evaluation of possibility to increasing sustainability of high-rise buildings through use university intellectual property

In this article explained approach of valuation of intellectual property of Voronezh State Technical University, as her usefulness to increasing the sustainability and ecological safety of high-rise building. High-rise building is main type of buildings in modern cities. They include large volume of material mass, high volume of energy using and high volume of emissions. Using innovation solutions to improving ecology safety of high-rise buildings has large potential to city in whole. Explained in the article methods of calculation of effects helps to value sustainable solutions of present and future generations. Thus usefulness of patents express through usefulness regarding to high-rise building, including for sustainable development.