The scenario of the space sector and research is changing very quickly, and given the anticipatory nature of such sector, also the context of Intellectual Property (PI) will gradually give way to a “strategy to enhance the results of the projects funded by the Agency”. “Enhancing” is a way broader concept than “patenting” and the new safeguard tools (starting from patents, design models, brands, etc.) will be merged in the next few years into new concepts such as “Knowledge and Technology Intelligence”, “technology and patent foresight”, “patent data”, etc.
Some resources will be used to create a “common enhancement ontology” and broaden the spectrum of available tools, increase awareness, settle a culture of safeguarding and indirectly support the definition of new technology trajectories, through the use of mixed information from patent and scientific databases.
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS
A natural application domain will be the relationship with those companies benefiting from ASI contracts, to whom new models of joint, yet mixed, enhancement may be offered (these may include, for example, license agreements, industrial development for the buyback of results, etc.) or with whom a more similar approach to the Open Innovation may be assessed in order to face the dilemma: industrial secret or public domain patent? Consistently with the provisions of the annual plans, the “strategy to enhance the results of the projects funded by the Agency” will continue to promote the organization of moments of circulation and in-depth analysis of the PI culture (such as legislation, restrictions, procedures, etc.), as well as the identification of the ASI contract products that may provide identified PIs for technology transfer to third-parties too. The above mentioned ontology may be applied not only to identify those research results (either patented or non-patented) with better enhancement prospects, but also to develop a new approach to support industrial and technological patents not generated by ASI contracts, that may have a medium-long term impact on the aerospace sector and generate virtuous spin-in cases.
The partnership with the Italian universities will be another key element, if we consider the renewed bond with the ILO (Industrial Liaison Offices) and TTO (Technology Transfer Offices) of the main universities and engineering schools, to create productive enhancement partnerships which are also in line with the ANVUR (National Agency for the Evaluation of Universities and Research Institutes) guidelines. Last but not least, also the “Space Economy” national programme will be an important testing ground to test new enhancement and transfer models, in view of the new enhancement strategy characterized by the dualism between “patent portfolio” and “knowledge portfolio”.
Useful links
https://spacesolutions.esa.int/patents.html
http://www.esa.int/Enabling_Support/Space_Engineering_Technology/IP_for_commercialisation
https://uibm.mise.gov.it/index.php/it/
MANAGEMENT AND ENHANCEMENT OF THE PATENT PORTFOLIO
The ASI’s ITT (Innovation and technology transfer) unit manages the Agency’s patent portfolio, by promoting initiatives to enhance its application and use also in sectors other than the space sector.
Such activity is carried out consistently with the initiatives in place within the framework of the ESA TTP programme (European Space Agency’s Technology Transfer Programme), which include the promotion of the ESA’s patents as well as the technologies patented by the ASI.
Useful links
https://www.epo.org/index.html
https://worldwide.espacenet.com/
https://www.wipo.int/portal/en/index.html
WHAT WE CAN DO FOR YOU
For further information, please contact us by sending an e-mail to ITT@asi.it
