Universities are breeding grounds for innovation, where researchers continuously work on groundbreaking technologies. These innovations are often recorded in patents, but unfortunately many of these patents end up in deep drawers without ever being utilized. This is a shame because there are tremendous opportunities for both universities and startups to bring these patents to life.
Intellectual Property
In a series of blog posts, Marco Coolen provides insight into his work as a Dutch and European patent attorney at AOMB. The common thread is the importance of paying attention to intellectual property and acquiring the best possible negotiating position.
I see this often in my work as a patent attorney at AOMB, where I regularly deal with spin-outs from universities. These companies emerge from academic research and often use the patents created during that research. A good example is Eindhoven Medical Robotics, a company involved in advanced medical technologies. They had an extensive patent portfolio, but financial problems landed the company in dire straits. The patents they had accumulated started out as a valuable asset but quickly became a liability because of the costs associated with maintaining them.
This is where the value of strategic collaboration comes in. Universities can often better monetize their patents by making them accessible to startups and other innovative companies. This is already happening increasingly, for example, through initiatives such as HighTechXL, a venture builder that actively searches for technologies lying dusty in the patent databases of institutions such as Eindhoven University of Technology.
Activating these patents can create a win-win situation. The university gains exposure and sees its research turned into tangible products or services, while startups gain access to technologies that would otherwise be out of their reach. Transferring patents can often be done at a cost, which can be a huge help for startups that do not yet have large financial resources.
However, this process does not always go smoothly. As the example of Eindhoven Medical Robotics shows, an extensive patent portfolio can also become a burden if there is not enough market demand to justify the ongoing costs. This is why universities and companies need to think carefully about which patents they want to keep and which they can let go. Sometimes, depending on the situation, it is better to keep technology as a trade secret rather than apply for a patent.
Universities’ patent collections over the years contain enormous untapped potential. By actively monetizing them, universities can not only fund their own research but also contribute to the broader innovation environment. It is time for universities to seize this opportunity and take their patents out of the drawer and into the marketplace.
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