Globalisation and digitalisation are changing economic and social dynamics, thus positioning knowledge and technology transfer as the key tool for promoting innovation. Ensuring that research projects and technological developments materialise and can have a real impact is essential.
Knowledge and technology transfer is a multi-directional collaborative process where knowledge generation centres, experts and scientists increase the value of their research by implementing its practical application, and companies obtain an important source of innovative technologies to improve their competitiveness.
An analysis of data shows that in Spain 25% of companies collaborate directly with universities in innovation and technology transfer activities, 30% of public funds at Spanish universities are allocated to research and development, and the increase in the economic return of technology transfer in Spain, compared to 2023, was 7%. All this demonstrates that knowledge and technology transfer enables a robust and competitive innovation ecosystem to be consolidated in our country.
In order to achieve results, protect and promote Industrial Property (IP) assets resulting from research, it is essential to design a global IP strategy that ensures rights of use and safeguards their economic and social value.
By identifying Industrial Property as the lever that ensures that rights of use reach the market, we highlight five stages that help us recognise the IP assets resulting from research, from their inception to their entry and use on the market.
- Identification and technology assessment.
- Protection of scientific knowledge.
- R&D&I valuation.
- Technology promotion and demand detection.
- Technology negotiation and signing of agreements.
Designing a robust asset management and protection strategy has numerous benefits since Industrial Property enables knowledge to be transformed into results, and IP allows innovation. Fostering innovation and creativity, protecting against unfair competition and generating economic value for investors are some of the competitive advantages of integrating an Industrial Property strategy into a knowledge and technology transfer project.
To conclude, it is obvious that the absence of an adequate Industrial Property strategy could potentially limit technology transfer, which would negatively affect the competitiveness of companies and the economic development of the country.
