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Universities say recommended European Innovation Council changes on intellectual property would address inventors’ “unfair advantage”
A group of research organisations has welcomed the recent statement by the board of the European Innovation Council saying that the EU funder should change its rules around intellectual property.
The EIC has a 2021-27 budget of about €10 billion to support the development of breakthrough technologies and their commercialisation. But universities and other research organisations have complained that some of its IP rules are “unworkable”.
Last month the EIC board recommended “some targeted improvements”, including that institutions should have time to commercialise new IP before individual ‘inventors’ gain full, royalty-free access rights.
Now, signatories of a joint statement including the European Association of Research and Technology Organisations and the European University Association said the recommendations from the board matched their views.
“We welcome the EIC Board’s recommendations,” the signatories said, urging the European Commission to adopt them for 2024 or earlier if possible.
When EIC inventors want to take an active role in commercialising IP, “a collaborative working relationship with the knowledge valorisation services of the employing research organisations should be ensured”, said the groups including Cesaer, representing science and technology universities, the Coimbra Group of multidisciplinary universities, the Guild of European Research-Intensive Universities and the Young European Research Universities Network.
Inventors should exercise their rights on the basis of institutional, regional and national rules and best practice, they said, adding that the rules as they stand give inventors “an unfair advantage”.
The groups said they would be happy to work with the EIC board and the Commission to translate the recommendations into practice.