Seminar: Foundations and Intellectual Property Rights - 14 January 2011, Brussels  

The management of intellectual property rights – whether through patents or other means – has become an inescapable part of the research funding landscape as the pressure grows to translate new research insights into practical outputs.

It is not just commercial incentives that are responsible for this state of affairs. Foundations also are increasingly aware that if research is to achieve desirable public benefit goals, the innovation gap must be bridged. But what is the best way for Foundations to facilitate this? How can Foundations ensure the most efficient management of their intellectual property and that of their beneficiaries? Does encouraging researchers and institutions to patent have unintended consequences for other social goals Foundations may have? Are there other ways that Foundations can achieve their social objectives through knowledge transfer? What is the best way to combine efficiency with accountability to their mandates?

These and other issues were discussed at a seminar hosted at the EFC premises in Brussels on 14 January 2011. Representatives of university technology transfer offices (TTOs), venture capital firms, private industry, universities, European institutions and Foundations met to understand the distinctive contribution of the philanthropic sector to this debate and to map out avenues for future initiatives. The final programme and presentations can be downloaded below and a short report will be available soon.