Research News
Prof. Dr. Wess, Scientific-Technical Managing Director of Helmholtz München Zentrum München and Dr. Nagel, Area Director of Technology Transfer welcome participants to the road show about the Helmholtz Validation Fund in Munich. Photo: Helmholtz Zentrum München
More information:
Dr. Jörn Krupa
Technology Transfer Officer
Tel.: 030 206329 72
Technology Transfer 2010/11
The knowledge and technology transfer at the Helmholtz Association on which we report on this special page several times a year takes many forms: From the so-called "transfer via heads" - for example by a scientist from a Helmholtz Centre changing to a commercial enterprise - to policy advice and dissemination of socially relevant findings - for example in the form of publications or events - all the way to cooperation projects, licensing agreements with companies or spin-offs. The latter three transfer channels are essential to turning technologies from the Helmholtz Centres to commercial use and for this reason are described in greater detail below.
Cooperative Ventures and Strategic Partnerships
The types of cooperation with companies range from infrastructure use to awarding construction projects to companies and contract research for companies all the way to joint research projects. One form of cooperation which is special for both parties is the strategic partnership in which long-term alliances are agreed upon to research particular topics or technologies. In 2009 alone, in the Helmholtz Association, over 3,200 cooperation projects were carried out with companies, yielding external funding of 160 million Euros from the business sector.
Licensing of Trademark Rights
Licence agreements or options on industrial property rights make it possible to collect income from knowledge transfer or technologies which have been developed in research centres. Trademark rights here refer first and foremost to industrial property rights such as patents or utility models. These are generally held by the Helmholtz Centres since inventions of scientists belong to the research centres pursuant to the Employee Invention Act. If, after receipt of an invention disclosure, the centres decide to exploit the invention and register for a patent, the trademark rights can be sold or licensed out. In such cases, the inventors receive a share of the proceeds of exploitation. In 2009, license revenues of around 15 million Euros were generated from a total of over 1,000 ongoing agreements. Every year, between 300 and 400 registrations for trademark rights are filed and a similar number of patents granted. The Helmholtz Association Centres hold a trademark rights portfolio of over 11,000 trademark rights for more than 3,600 different technologies.
Spin-Offs
Spin-offs can also lead to research results being commercially exploited through new product and service offerings. In particular, founding technology-oriented and knowledge-based companies offers an especially efficient and valuable form of knowledge and technology transfer since it combines commercial utilisation of research results with growth and job creation stimuli. Often, employees of Helmholtz Centres spin off new companies based on know-how or licence agreements. Not infrequently do the spin-offs also use the major research infrastructure of the centres for further product development; appropriate agreements can be concluded for such. In the case of some company foundations, the respective centre participates in the company which allows the spin-off to save costs for licences or equipment use and in exchange, the Centre can participate in the company's growth and commercial success. The Helmholtz Centres currently participate in over 50 companies. Between 2005 and 2009, there were 47 spin-offs formed out of Helmholtz Centres.
Road Show on the New Helmholtz Validation Fund
The development of technology transfer in the last few years and the successful balance sheet for 2009 show that in the Helmholtz Centres, in research departments and transfer centres, we work with dedication on new ideas and their applications in business and society. Nonetheless, a number of good ideas from research fail on the road to the market. Many times, such failure is due to a lack of follow-up financing. The Helmholtz Association would like to reduce this financing gap with its new instrument, the Helmholtz Validation Fund (HVF). The Helmholtz Validation Fund supplements existing instruments and models. In the next five years, it will be funded with 26 million Euros from the Initiative and Networking Fund of the Helmholtz Association. The Centres will contribute the same amount to financing the project. As such, over 50 million Euros will be available to make application-relevant research results attractive to partners from the business sector or to exploit such results through spin-offs, for example through demonstrators, market studies or preclinical studies.
In order to inform people about this instrument and the application process, the Helmholtz head office has, since the beginning of October, organised a road show through all Helmholtz Centres. Up to the beginning of December, information events on the Helmholtz Validation Fund will take place at all the Centres and will be complemented by presentations of the supplemental VIP funding programme of the BMBF and High Tech Gründerfonds. The managing director of the Helmholtz Association, Dr Rolf Zettl, and the technology transfer officer, Dr Jörn Krupa, will be on hand for questions. At the centres visited to date, the feedback on this concerted presentation of the complementary financing instruments was extremely positive.
Under www.helmholtz.de/ausschreibungen you will find the remaining schedule of the road show, the invitation to tender, the application guidelines, forms for the preliminary and main application, the flyer and the three presentations held during the series of events. All interested parties may participate.
Cooperative Ventures and Strategic Partnerships
The types of cooperation with companies range from infrastructure use to awarding construction projects to companies and contract research for companies all the way to joint research projects. One form of cooperation which is special for both parties is the strategic partnership in which long-term alliances are agreed upon to research particular topics or technologies. In 2009 alone, in the Helmholtz Association, over 3,200 cooperation projects were carried out with companies, yielding external funding of 160 million Euros from the business sector.
Licensing of Trademark Rights
Licence agreements or options on industrial property rights make it possible to collect income from knowledge transfer or technologies which have been developed in research centres. Trademark rights here refer first and foremost to industrial property rights such as patents or utility models. These are generally held by the Helmholtz Centres since inventions of scientists belong to the research centres pursuant to the Employee Invention Act. If, after receipt of an invention disclosure, the centres decide to exploit the invention and register for a patent, the trademark rights can be sold or licensed out. In such cases, the inventors receive a share of the proceeds of exploitation. In 2009, license revenues of around 15 million Euros were generated from a total of over 1,000 ongoing agreements. Every year, between 300 and 400 registrations for trademark rights are filed and a similar number of patents granted. The Helmholtz Association Centres hold a trademark rights portfolio of over 11,000 trademark rights for more than 3,600 different technologies.
Spin-Offs
Spin-offs can also lead to research results being commercially exploited through new product and service offerings. In particular, founding technology-oriented and knowledge-based companies offers an especially efficient and valuable form of knowledge and technology transfer since it combines commercial utilisation of research results with growth and job creation stimuli. Often, employees of Helmholtz Centres spin off new companies based on know-how or licence agreements. Not infrequently do the spin-offs also use the major research infrastructure of the centres for further product development; appropriate agreements can be concluded for such. In the case of some company foundations, the respective centre participates in the company which allows the spin-off to save costs for licences or equipment use and in exchange, the Centre can participate in the company's growth and commercial success. The Helmholtz Centres currently participate in over 50 companies. Between 2005 and 2009, there were 47 spin-offs formed out of Helmholtz Centres.
Road Show on the New Helmholtz Validation Fund
The development of technology transfer in the last few years and the successful balance sheet for 2009 show that in the Helmholtz Centres, in research departments and transfer centres, we work with dedication on new ideas and their applications in business and society. Nonetheless, a number of good ideas from research fail on the road to the market. Many times, such failure is due to a lack of follow-up financing. The Helmholtz Association would like to reduce this financing gap with its new instrument, the Helmholtz Validation Fund (HVF). The Helmholtz Validation Fund supplements existing instruments and models. In the next five years, it will be funded with 26 million Euros from the Initiative and Networking Fund of the Helmholtz Association. The Centres will contribute the same amount to financing the project. As such, over 50 million Euros will be available to make application-relevant research results attractive to partners from the business sector or to exploit such results through spin-offs, for example through demonstrators, market studies or preclinical studies. In order to inform people about this instrument and the application process, the Helmholtz head office has, since the beginning of October, organised a road show through all Helmholtz Centres. Up to the beginning of December, information events on the Helmholtz Validation Fund will take place at all the Centres and will be complemented by presentations of the supplemental VIP funding programme of the BMBF and High Tech Gründerfonds. The managing director of the Helmholtz Association, Dr Rolf Zettl, and the technology transfer officer, Dr Jörn Krupa, will be on hand for questions. At the centres visited to date, the feedback on this concerted presentation of the complementary financing instruments was extremely positive.
Under www.helmholtz.de/ausschreibungen you will find the remaining schedule of the road show, the invitation to tender, the application guidelines, forms for the preliminary and main application, the flyer and the three presentations held during the series of events. All interested parties may participate.
