Technology transfer at the University
The primary role of the Technology Transfer Center (further referred to as TTO) is supporting the researchers at the university in commercializing their research results.
We encourage our researchers to get in touch with TTO during the realization of the research project and get the relevant information regarding business potentials behind their research results. TTO associates are capable of providing support in improvement, patenting, usage, industrial partners, foundation of spin-off companies, university regulations and other innovation-related matters.
The process of technology transfer consists of the following main steps. The sequence of steps may vary and the activities often take place simultaneously.
- Research
- Pre-disclosure invention-notification
- Invention Disclosure, IDX
- Preliminary evaluation
- Intellectual property protection
- Marketing strategy
- Choosing a licencing partner
- Licencing
- Market entry
- Income
Experiments performed during the research and all related observations often lead to a new discovery, invention or production of another intellectual creation. Inventions, technologies, methods, applications, samples, fabrics, compounds, processes and all other research results are considered intellectual creations.
Pre-disclosure invention-notification
Basically this is the first contact with TTO associates regarding the expected results of a research project. It is the general experience that the sooner this takes place the more effectively can TTO support innovation procedures. Researchers receive complete information regarding the following steps and we usually measure the possible threats of early publication (abstract, conference presentation, scientific article) to legal protection and commercialization in the future.
Formal beginning of the technology transfer procedure. Once you, as a researcher created an invention or innovation that seems patentable and/or available please contact TTO before publishing the research result. Description is the first step towards legal protection of intellectual property and its main purpose is providing appropriate information for TTO to evaluate the business potential of the invention. The introduction shall take place in writing by filling in the invention disclosure form.
In this phase TTO associates perform a preliminary evaluation with you, the inventor in order to explore certain conditions that may prevent the invention from being properly protected and commercialized. TTO evaluate the innovation potential of the research result based on three basic criteria.
- Can the solution be protected?
- Can patent protection be properly performed?
- Can the invention be used in the market?
Preliminary evaluation typically takes 3-4 weeks and we involve a patent attorney in preparing the novelty search report. In function of preliminary evaluation results university may accept the intellectual product or return it to the inventor. As a third option the university may propose further improvement and/or gathering additional research data for the sake of proving market practicability of the invention.
Intellectual property protection
The purpose of intellectual property protection is creating and expanding the economic interest of industry partners. A patenting administrator expert in the given area is asked by TTO to elaborate the declaration of patenting. The administrator contacts the inventors and the text of the declaration is also prepared under coordination of TTO. Primary declaration of patenting is usually issued to the Hungarian Intellectual Property Office in either Hungarian or English.
Although issuing the declaration of patenting is an important milestone it is only the beginning of the process. In order to utilize maximum market potential of the innovation TTO and researchers create and perform the utilization strategy in cooperation. The two main directions of utilization are licensee and establishing spin-off company. Throughout this process TTO is responsible for coordination of conducting substantial negotiations and preparation of agreement drafts. You, the researcher are counted up on in partner-search, as personal contacts are crucial in this phase. According to international research, business contacts initiated by researchers lead to successful utilization of a certain technology.
As far as more than one company is interested in utilization of the technology the most appropriate one is chosen considering the following qualities:
- ensuring market entry
- Initiation of sources in further improvements
- ensuring present technical and business management
- placing business plan at disposal
The main purpose of licensee agreement is organizing the relations between the university and the utilization company, making the capital out of its market potential and establishing the due fees for both the university and the inventors. Throughout the licensing agreement the partner receives utilization rights although the intellectual products proprietary rights remain with the university. In case of founding a spin-off company the licensee rights are owned by the spin-off company itself.
Licensee partner performs tasks included in the contract (improvement, licenses, marketing, production) for the sake of initiating market utilization then the product or service is launched.
All income by commercialization is shared among inventors, university innovation basis and organization units concerned by the research. Those inventors are entitled to fees of innovation utilization who are taking crucial part of creating the intellectual product (either as inventor or author). Proper percentages of sharing are included in the regulation of intellectual property of the University of Debrecen.
The above itinerary is based on the regulation entitled ’ Directives and rules of research agreements, handling intellectual property and technological transfer activities’ available here.
Updated: 2019.07.05.
