COMMERCIALIZING R&D
IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR
Bob Stembridge
Principal Patent Analyst
COMMERCIALIZING R&D IN THE
PUBLIC SECTOR:
PERSPECTIVES ON ACADEMICINDUSTRY TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER
Bob Stembridge
Prinicipal Patent Analyst
Thomson Reuters IP & Science
AGENDA
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The research and innovation cycle
The role of IP in commercialization
Technology transfer
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Process
Steps
Challenges
Strategies
Case study
Discussion
WHAT DO THE FOLLOWING INNOVATIONS
HAVE IN COMMON?
Imaging bundles in fibre optic networks
Imperial College and
Technical University of Delft
Gene splicing in biotech industry
Stanford University
and University of California
Internet search engine
Stanford University
Significant innovations that have originated
from academic research
THE RESEARCH & INNOVATION CYCLE
Basic
Research
Applied
Research
Wealth
Innovation /
Protection /
Exploitation
Patents
THE ROLE OF PATENTS
Research &
Innovation
Protection &
Assertion
COMMERCIAL
RETURN ON
INVESTMENT
Licensing &
Commercialization
Application &
Prosecution
Maintenance &
Monitoring
A patent is a
contract between
the state and an
individual whereby
the state grants
monopoly rights to
the individual to
exploit their
invention in return
for which the
individual provides
full disclosure of
the invention
TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER
• The process of transferring
laboratory findings to the
marketplace through:
– Licensing agreements
– Joint ventures
– Partnerships
– Spin offs
STEPS
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Research
Evaluation about the commercial potential of the invention
Assessment with the researchers
IP protection
Marketing
Licensing / Spin-off company creation
Product development and commercialization by one or more
licensees
• Revenue generation by one or more licensees
These steps may vary in sequence and often
occur simultaneously
SOME COMMON CHALLENGES
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What does the market want?
How do I attract more industry funding?
Which R&D project should I invest in?
How can I create more licenses and spin-offs?
How can I measure the success of technology
transfer more accurately?
• How do I motivate my researchers to do more
applied research?
• How do I value my Intellectual Property (IP)?
Technology Transfer is a long and risky process and
requires significant time and investment
THE TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER FRAMEWORK
TALENT
RESOURCES
MARKET
WORKFLOW
Meeting the market need is key!
IMPACT
TRANSCENDING THE VALLEY OF DEATH
STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS
• Frame the R&D project as a marketing challenge
– Research projects are usually viewed as a scientific or technology
challenge. Successful technology transfer depends on identifying and
satisfying a market need
• Early in the R&D Cycle:
– Understand your target market’s needs
– Understand and navigate the IP landscape
• Throughout the R&D Cycle:
– Constantly monitor the market and IP landscape and adapt your R&D
strategy
• Use necessary tools and databases to understand the market
DECISION SUPPORT TOOLS:
THOMSON INNOVATION
Patent Search: Access the most relevant
and comprehensive, global IP data,
including the Derwent World Patents
Index®, Asia-Pacific patents and
Scientific Literature.
Streamline your work with powerful
productivity and collaboration tools.
Patent Analysis: Turn large volumes of
data into actionable intelligence with
interactive analysis and visualization
tools.
DERIVING INFORMATION FROM PATENT
DOCUMENTS
Patent data – a valuable resource to
support business decisions
THE THEMESCAPE ANALYTICAL AND
VISUALIZATION TOOL
ThemeScape Map
• Integrates data from multiple patent records in a visual form
• Uncover relationships between patent documents and helps focus on
related technology in a crowded space
ThemeScape Map allows you to understand quickly the
patent landscape and market dynamics
MAPPING YOUR RESEARCH TO THE
MARKET PLACE
• Use ThemeScape Map to understand your target market in
the following 4 ways:
– Patent landscape: understand how
your patents fit in the overall landscape
compared to your competitors
– Forward citations: use citations to
understand downstream R&D Activity and
search for potential licensees
– Research collaborations: gain insights into who your industry
partners are collaborating with and on what
– Portfolio Management Tool: cluster your patents and discover
new industry applications
CASE STUDY
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TURKISH UNIVERSITIES PATENT PORTFOLIO
SABANCI UNIVERSITY PATENT PORTFOLIO
Sabanci University has strength in Exoskeleton innovation
SABANCI UNIVERSITY PATENT PORTFOLIO
DETAIL
PATENT LANDSCAPE FOR EXOSKELETONS
Exoskeleton
inventions
HONDA MOTOR…
UNIV CALIFORNIA
ARGO MEDICAL…
UNIV TSUKUBA
BERKELEY BIONICS
COMMISSARIAT…
UNIV DELAWARE
TOYOTA MOTOR…
RAYTHEON CO
0
20
40
60
EXOSKELETONS - COMPETITIVE
LANDSCAPE
FORWARD CITATIONS HELP IDENTIFY DOWNSTREAM
R&D ACTIVITY AND POTENTIAL LICENSEES
• Impact via Citation:
– Self-Citations claim priority
or measure follow-on R&D
– Cites from external
sources measure
competitive interest
– Cites from examiners may
reflect closeness of the art
Forward citations provide an indication of downstream R&D activity by industry
players and how the market has adopted your research
EXAMPLE OF A UNIVERSITY PATENT
FORWARD CITATION
First level
citations
Second level
citations
Third level
citations
Use citation maps to identify different citers and their downstream activities
FIRST AND SECOND GENERATION
FORWARD CITATIONS
ThemeScape Map can be used to cluster forward citations
to understand downstream R&D Activities
RESEARCH COLLABORATIONS: COMPETITIVE INSIGHTS INTO
INDUSTRY PARTNERS’ COLLABORATION ACTIVITIES
• Research collaborations with private corporations are
important engagement points for Universities:
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IP Commercialization (for Pre- and Post-Collaboration IP)
Learning from the Corporation
Branding
Industry Revenue
Economic Benefit
COMPETITIVE INSIGHTS INTO INDUSTRY PARTNERS’
COLLABORATION ACTIVITIES
• Engaging Industry Partners
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Publish Strategically
Develop Key Account Managers
Study Your Industry Partner’s Roadmaps
Understanding who and what your Target Industry
Partners are working
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CONCLUSIONS
• Commercialization is a long and risky process and requires
significant investments in talent, resources and workflow processes
• A key to crossing the “Valley of Death” to successful
commercialization is understanding the market needs and
competitive landscape
• Thomson Innovation and the ThemeScape Map are useful tools to
understand the market dynamics and patent landscape
• There are four different techniques available. This allows R&D to be
more “structured” and enhances commercialization opportunities