FCUL Policy of Economic Valorization of knowledge (2017)

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Technology Transfer (TT) and Industrial Property (IP)

Technology transfer is the common designation for the transfer of technical and scientific knowledge between academia and society, more specifically with the industry.

In practical terms, technology transfer involves the establishment of industry partnerships, the contracting of research projects with companies and the promotion and protection of industrial property, which must be duly safeguarded through patents and copyright, for example.

Technology transfer normally involves 8 steps:

1. Breakthrough: researchers identify inventions with commercial applicability or innovation potential;

2. Disclosure of Invention: researchers must complete and present a Disclosure of Invention, which is a specific form for analysis of the technology;

3. Analysis and technological enhancement: the Faculty of Sciences R&D and Innovation Unit (UIDI) analyses the commercial applicability of the invention and issues an opinion on its patentability, in order to protect the industrial property of the invention and launch the technology on the market;

4. Decision and definition of IP strategy: after examining the disclosure of the invention, the Science Board issues a decision. The decision is issued on a case basis, taking into account if protection of the invention by means of a patent is appropriate, if there is a third-party interest in the licensing of the invention or if the rights must be transferred to the inventors themselves. While a decision is not issued, inventors must refrain from disclosing the results of the invention;

5. Identification of funding sources: when the Faculty chooses to patent the invention, funding sources must be considered in order to support process costs;

6. Protection of Industrial Property: in order to protect industrial property rights from third parties - namely, by means of a patent - a patent application must be filed;

7. Potential interested parties: disclosure of the technology on offer and demand platforms, as well as to companies, entrepreneurs or investors, in order to identify potential partners;

8. Negotiation: follow up and negotiation of licensing or transfer of industrial property rights.

The R&D and Innovation Unit (UIDI) is the unit responsible for supporting technology transfer. Together with Tec Labs - Innovation Centre, they are the beacon for the establishment of business relationships and the promotion of entrepreneurship.

Related Contacts

When should you contact us?

To address or clarify any matter related to industrial property, you can contact FCUL R&D and Innovation Unit (falopes@ciencias.ulisboa.pt) or Francisco Pereira do Valle, FCUL Foundation consultant for the area of knowledge transfer (fpvalle@ciencias.ulisboa.pt).

If you are a FCUL researcher or student, you should contact us if:

• You believe the results of your research can have commercial use;
• You are promoting an R&D project in partnership with another entity;
• There is the possibility of entering into an R&D service agreement or into a collaborative project with a company;
• You need to protect the information you will share with third parties through a confidentiality agreement;
• You need to contractually agree a transfer of materials;
• You have any questions regarding industrial property;
• You want to form a start-up.

If you are a potential partner, you should contact us if:

• You are looking for an R&D partner in the areas of FCUL research;
• You are interested in licensing an invention from our technology portfolio;
• You want to invest in R&D;
• You have a technical problem that an R&D project may solve;
• You are looking for an academic partner for a funding application.