Tech transfer current reforms in France: SATT- tech transfer accelerating companies
1. Tech transfer current reforms in France:
SATT- tech transfer accelerating companies
Ph.D, Vincent LAMANDE,
Past President réseau C.U.R.I.E.
Deputy director Bretagne Valorisation
Key Success Factors to better
Technology Transfer
3. Tech transfer: a challenging mission
Requirements
• Innovation is vital for job creation & economic recovery
• Global competition (Eu vs Asia)
Working conditions
• Researchers are discovery minded (publications vs patent)
• Public funding for universities is decreasing
• Universities are increasing
commercial activities
• The funding gap for new
ventures is widening
• Global competition for IP is
increasing
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4. Tech Transfer French Specificities
• 80+ autonomous universities looking for critical size
• CNRS, a large national research organisation associated
to univs. having delegated its TT to it’s private TTO.
• Strong national thematic research organisations having
a long tradition in TT
• Since 6 years: Emerging “local” entities :
• at regional level (i.e. Bretagne, Aquitaine, Alsace)
• At municipal level when big enough (Paris, Lyon, Toulouse)
• Dual system, & differences among structures
5. Background: 14 existing mutualised organisations in
France since 2006
• Researchers concerned : 47 000
• Full time professionals for TT : 100 persons
• 50% TT Professionals issued from former univ.
• 50% new staff
• Convincing results, a validated model BUT:
• Strong need to increase financial and human resources
• Lab researchers from national organisms not
concerned
• Limited geographical coverage
Inspiration for SATT call for tender, SATT is a v.2.0
6. Which change do we expect now?
• Settling up new “big size” Tech transfer organizations
• With high professionalism and trained staff
• Strengthening regional TTO close to labs & industry needs
• Supporting technology “proof-of-concept” (prototyping,
transnational research) for innovative applications
Bring value to academic inventions
& boost tech transfer for the public benefit
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7. National commitments to innovation (1)
1 billion € invested through a national loan
« investissements d'avenir » “investments for the future”
• 900 Millions €,
• 12 SATT (Acceleration TT companies)
+
• 50 Millions €, 5 national thematic TT clusters
• 50 Millions €, France Brevet (IP fund)
• National calls for proposal early 2011
• Selection of projects nationwide by an international committee
• Additional support from Regions and private sector
• 2012, Creation of 5 first SATT
8. National commitments to innovation (2)
Core objective: Accelerating Tech transfer
Create value through POC funding
Strong IP management & efficient technology commercialization
Main challenges
Preserve intellectual property rights & protect assets
Create value through POC funding
Create the best environment to facilitate partnerships with
companies and other partners
Transfer technologies through licensing and spin off creation
9. SATT: a new tech transfer system
Merger at regional level between univs and engineering
schools TTOs, plus numerous TT national organisms
– To reach a critical mass of TT professionals
– To manage significant IP portfolio in a single entity
– To increase Marketing capabilities & bargaining power
– To Add value to inventions (potential innovations)
Frame agreement with other national research organizations
– To access high profile services in specific fields (Health,
Agro, etc.)
– To expand international network & global markets
12. SATT Valorisation Process
Transfer for
Support research and secure IP Create and exploitation
validate value
Proof of
Licensing
Collaborative concept
research Intellectual
property
Business
(patent, Spin off
Unit
soft, know-
Academic how)
research
Technologic
al platforms
Support activities Core business
13. SATT core missions (1)
Provide a large range of services related to TT and
commercialisation activities:
Promote innovation culture at campus level
Educational sessions to researchers and master degree
Support collaborative research
Detect innovations at labs (invention disclosures)
Manage IP portfolio
Organize company scouting and answer industry
requests
14. SATT core missions (2)
Organize vertical integration of TT activities:
Project engineering from early stage technology to
commercialization and transfer
Defining IP & TT strategies
Support patenting process and IP costs, up to
prosecution
Financial support to innovative projects (patents,
maturation, pre-incubation, incubation, etc.)
Manage high quality license agreements
15. Ouest
Valorisation
PACA Corse
Industrial partnerships,
collaborative research
Multi-parter R&D (FUI, FP)
Services to univs.
(detection, awareness,
Services
eudcation)
Others (expertise, pft
management)
IP management
Maturation, prototyping
Transfert(promotion, tech
transfer)
Maturation &Transfer
Spin off creation
16. Business Model
• Services at market price or success fees (engineering of
collaborative research / FP7)
• IP belongs to shareholders
• Shareholders committed to exclusively entrust SATT with
increasing the value of results of their research departments
• Exclusive license of shareholder patents given to SATT then
sublicensed to industrial partners
• License revenues shared between SATT, patent owners and
inventors
• SATT will be shareholder of start-up
Model based on medium term results 10 years.
But evaluation every three years.
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17. Main challenges within three years
• Governance: Share a common culture of innovation between different
academic institutions
• Become the TT “internal” instrument of academic research, not a
private subcontractor
• Convince scientific community of the paradigm change :
• Utility of valorisation (Research + application = mission)
• Culture of innovation
• Setup the adequate team:
• Avoid the « all business » myth (it is not only a matter of marketing)
• Keep capitalizing on past experience
• Accept the market price (remuneration)
• Become fully integrated to ecosystem