The emerging technology transfer market across Europe (2)

Dr Mark Mawhinney, Isis Enterprise

Members of the Isis Innovation team have been travelling across Europe for the past 5 years as the demand grows for advice on technology transfer. In 2005 alone there were over 70 visits to Isis from overseas visitors and the Isis team made over 20 visits to other countries. The increasing interest in the commercialisation of research is drawing in governments, investors and representatives from Universities and other research institutes. This emerging European market is a fascinating one of contrasting policies, cultures and priorities.

The approach to technology transfer varies tremendously and is often the choice of individual organisations and Universities. However, there are some generic trends that we observe that reflect the creativity and maturity of the market participants in dealing with their local situation.

In the former Eastern European countries, the new states of the European Union, we see the imaginative use of European funds being matched to good science bases. As new states, they are often at the start of the learning curve with technology transfer and Europe, but keen to learn enough to leap-frog others.

In Scandinavia, we see thoughtful programmes which suggest a fundamental review of thinking across the region. Both Government and the research organisations are clearly looking at progress to date in detail and whether this can be improved, accelerated or made more efficient.

There is increasing interest within Italy and clearly a desire to get more out of technology transfer but all parties that approach us profess frustration at the confusing system of ownership and resource allocation. In Italy and other countries we encounter the debate on professor’s privilege, the legal system where the inventor rather than their employer own the rights to IP exploitation.  There appears to be a general drift away from this system towards a system based on employer ownership or exploitation, but we still see many countries where this system exists and can be made to work.

There are numerous surveys on technology transfer activity across Europe. Useful contributions from bodies such as the European Commission, the Association of European Science and Technology Professionals (ASTP) and Proton provide good information but, by its nature, paints a dry statistical picture. Did you know that the average European TTO has 8.7 staff, that there are 40 researchers per patent or that the majority of technology transfer offices (53%) are organised as internal departments within their host organisation rather than as independent or subsidiary offices?

We are, through our travels, fortunate to meet face-to-face with a vibrant emerging market of people in this industry. The drivers for change are similar across Europe as we noted in our last article but the people change and cultural barriers they face vary. It is this ever-changing environment that makes our work at Isis Enterprise so interesting and challenging. Technology transfer is a people business and it is through winning the hearts and minds that the work becomes successful.

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