Currently, Unicamp has a Portfolio of 1087 patents. In 2010, the number was 601 patents, an 80% increase in the portfolio in 10 years. With one of the largest patent portfolios among Brazilian universities and the approval of its Innovation Policy in 2019, the Inova Unicamp Innovation Agency, the body responsible for managing the University's portfolio, will begin this second semester a review of the entire portfolio of patents. The objective is to identify the economic potential of patents still in their invention stage, and thus develop a more competitive portfolio in terms of technology transfer from the University to society.
The review was raised in the Intellectual Property Culture Webinar. Inventors Award 2020 (event that honors Unicamp’s inventors). The director of Intellectual Property, Raquel Barbosa, commented that the process has two dimensions that are occurring in parallel: the review of the accumulated patent portfolio and the reformulation of the University's patentability strategy. In both cases, the analysis will go beyond the basic patentability requirements such as, for example, being capable of novelty.
“We will look at each patent application, observing its characteristics around the business model, distribution strategy, technology transfer. For this multidisciplinary analysis, we will have a more integrated process, with the participation of all Inova managers. With an in-depth analysis of the portfolio, it will reach its final objective faster: benefiting society through an innovative product or process”, explained Barbosa.
Regarding the accumulated portfolio of patents, the Agency is counting, among other partners, on the support of Pris, a company that offers consultancy to support institutions in the process of maturing Intellectual Property (IP), transforming their assets into a source of value . Daniel Eloi, partner at the company, commented during the event about portfolio management:
“There are conventional IP management scenarios with good performance in drafting and searching for patents, but there is no patentability analysis or periodic review of the portfolio. In this way, patents that could have a use are stored, making the portfolio a generator of costs instead of a source of value”, reported Eloi.
Although Inova Unicamp is already strongly involved in technological offerings, with results in the transfer of technologies that stand out in Latin America, Eloi explains that periodic analysis of the portfolio is essential because it balances spending on patents that really need protection and those that do not, such as inventions of a social nature that would have their purpose fulfilled with the publication of a scientific article, for example. In this way, investments can be focused on patents that in the future will have a greater economic benefit generated by the technology and protection itself.
Universities: The gear of Brazilian IP
In 2019, the Institute of Biology was Unicamp's largest depositor. Of the 67 patent applications made by the University in 2019, 18 had the participation of IB researchers, which earned the Institute the Inventores Award as Outstanding Unit in Intellectual Property.
For Claudio Castanheira, General Director of Clarke Modet Intellectual Property, Universities like Unicamp are the great driver of the area in Brazil, but he believes they have even greater potential. “Brazil has a significant investment in Research and Development, 1,26% of GDP was used for this purpose in 2017. Currently, we need more researchers involved in more projects so that they can become partnerships”, stated Castanheira.
These and other experiences were shared in the webinar “Inventors Award: Intellectual Property Culture”, which was attended by 153 people connected live and is now available in full on Inova Unicamp's YouTube channel.
Published article originally by the Unicamp Innovation Agency.
