The programme entry will consist of two presentations. One by Comenius University in Bratislava (UK) representative and other by guest from Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice (UPJŠ).
Both presentations are focused on intellectual property creation and transfer of scientific research results in the environment of academic institutions. Presenters will pay attention not only to conditions that follow from internal transfer processes implemented at public universities but also those external ones, especially legislative environment.
Successful intellectual property transfer is a result of many factors, that are a part of this complicated process in comparison with similar intellectual property transfers in commercial sphere. This is mainly due to public resources used while creating the intellectual property, where such special regime should be accepted to maintain transparency of processes.
Dealing with intellectual property subjects created at public universities, especially transfer of them, is not common in Slovakia, which is visible also in not satisfying legislative environment where the transfer happens. Questionable however is if little number of transfers results from absent legislation or, in the contrary, if missing legislation is an obstacle for intellectual property rights transfer to become more popular in academic environment. Initiatives to change legislation in this field take place for a longer time but still without more significant positive result.
Despite it three universities, Masaryk University in Brno (MUNI), Comenius University (UK) and Pavol Jozef Šafárik University (UPJŠ) successfully completed the process of transferring intellectual property rights.
Pavol Jozef Šafárik university will introduce example of successful intellectual property rights transfer named MicroRNA in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) process success test and selection of high-quality embryo ( IVF intellectual property). During this presentation the internal management processes in technology transfer implemented at UPJŠ, UK and MUNI as well as technology transfer offices operation in these institutions will be discussed as well.
Presentation will introduce specialised Centre for Technology Transfer (CTT) established at Pavol Jozef Šafárik University within Technology and Innovation Park (TIP – UPJŠ). Internal competencies and processes of CTT operation in cooperation between Department of Business and Legal Management of TIP – UPJŠ and Transfer and Innovation Board inside the institution and their common communication outwards – to business environment. They consider marketing activities to promote intellectual property as an important part of whole technology transfer process because they became essential to get investor as they significantly help to make intellectual property more visible. In this particular case intellectual property IVF became a finalist of Transfera Technology Day 2020 competition in the Czech Republic where it attracted attention of FABA Capital, a.s. investor. In 2021 the technology received main Prize for Technology Transfer in Slovakia in “Innovation” category which confirmed potential of it in infertility treatment.
Centre for Technology Transfer at UPJŠ coordinated all business negotiations and contractual documentation preparation process in cooperation with Department of Business and Legal Management of TIP – UPJŠ as well as other technology transfer offices at UK and MUNI. This case unequivocally documents relevance of establishing and professional development of technology transfer offices in scientific institutions and also the need for their cooperation.
“This successful story of commercialization shows not only importance of science, but we also believe it can encourage other scientists and researchers in their effort to create solutions vital and beneficial for the society and implement them into practice. We see one of the key roles of universities in this,” commented doc. Bačárová (UPJŠ) on this successful industrial property rights transfer.
Presentation from UK will inform us that Centre for Technology Transfer of UK coordinated the process of this intellectual property rights transfer at the university and because it was first official intellectual property rights transfer within Slovak universities, it demanded detailed analysis of particular steps to fulfil all legal and economic obligations. At the same time cooperation between all parties was necessary. “This success shows again importance of local technology transfer offices at universities and other scientific institutions in Slovakia,” emphasises Mgr. Lenka Levarská, PhD.