ARC issues guidelines to strengthen IP position

The Australian Research Council is calling on universities to make the most out of the intellectual property they produce, with a set of revised principles of IP management.

National Principles of Intellectual Property Management for Publicly Funded Research, issued on 5 April, states that institutions in receipt of public research funds should try to ensure that the resulting IP is of benefit to Australian research and industry, be that by protecting it or striving to make it publicly available.

Institutions that receive funding from the ARC or the National Health and Medical Research Council will be expected to incorporate the principles into their research practices. This will mean developing an IP policy and helping staff on IP issues.