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Evaluation of Transfer Projects

FITT

(Fostering Interregional Exchange in ICT Technology Transfer)

2 | 26.03.2010 Evaluation of technology transfer projects

46% of resources are allocated to the conception, development and launch of products which will never reach the market or fail after the release.

Robert G. Cooper, 2000, Ivey Business Journal

How to reduce the risk of spending time, money and efforts of the technology transfer officers on non-valuable projects?

The context


Need for a first assessment of the disclosed inventions on:

technical & commercial potential

the interest of the research organisation to allocate resources to the transfer.

Need

Necessity to be quick and simple. Usually followed by a more in-depth analysis later.

Always performed internally whereas further investigation for protection/exploitation of the invention can be outsourced (patent attorney, marketing studies...)

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Objectives

In the context of public R&D, this first-level assessment has the following objectives:

To provide a first view on the possibility of transferring the research results, making the best use of all kind of transfer

With a “return on research” i.e. financial returns that will reinforce the research capacity

Responsibility to ensure the dissemination of the research results in order to optimize their socio-economic impact (including employment creation) aside from a strictly financial, return-on-investment perspective

Given the transversal nature of ICT, commitment to a broad perspective and to consider all possible fields of application in order to ensure the widest possible dissemination.


Methodology

Stakeholders

Outcome of the assessment

Elements of the process


Practices available in the toolbox

AWARENESS CREATION

MONITORING OF ACTIVITIES

EVALUATION

DETECTION of technology transfer opportunities

‘Quick assessment tool for business ideas’

‘Evaluation criteria’

‘Technology transfer follow-up committee’


Easy method to quickly analyse and develop value propositions for projects

Useful for researchers : Guides them to write down a compelling, pitchy Value Proposition showing their distinctive

advantage Makes them aware that the greatest technology is not enough, but needs to be combined

with great positioning and a great team

Useful for technology transfer officers Good fit in organisations with large deal flow of ‘wild’ business ideas, emanating from people

with few entrepreneurial skills Easy framework for dissemination/awareness creation

Quick assessment tool for business ideas: ‘NABC’

N Customer/Market Needs

A Compelling Approach

B Customer Benefits/cost

C Worldwide Competition


Review of evaluation criteria used in research organisations for technology

transfer

Focus on Digiteo’s set of criteria for maturation projects & their condition of use

Evaluation criteria

Incubation entry eval

Pre-incubation Incubation

Research Market

Early-stage evalPreincubation entry

eval

Development Proof-of-concept

Licensing


Technology transfer follow-up committee (1)

Focus on INRIA’s committee in charge of:

Startup creation projects

Industrial partnerships with transfer of assets (license or assignment)

Industrial partnerships with transfer of competences (expertise)

Participation to standardisation actions within a transfer action

An open source diffusion of an important code base

Composition:

3 internal persons (including representative from TTO) 3 senior private experts

When: one meeting every two months Cre

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Committee is advisory for the INRIA Transfer department. It gives recommendations on:

go/no go (TT initialisation and follow-up)

transfer strategy adoption

asking for an opportunity/feasibility study

means allocation for maturation if needed

Process:

Template description of the project built by the researcher, TT officer and Sectorial TT Associate

Submission sent a few days before the meeting (no late submission)

A collaborative tool allows the follow-up by all the staff concerned

Technology transfer follow-up committee (2)


Pros & Cons

CONsPROs

Early analysis allowing the adoption of transfer strategy.

Increased formalisation of the process, leading to the diminution of oral tradition.

More visibility for the projects that go through the first-level assessment. Even if the result of the assessment is negative, the TT officers/ experts of the jury are aware of it, leading to possible developments in the future.

Difficult to choose the experts, who must be legitimate to “kill” the projects.

Risk of excessive formalisation of the process. Some flexibility should remain, to support great, “out of scope” projects.


Suggested Readings

Link to code book

Invention

inventor

Invention disclosure

Opportunity assessment

Proof of concept

Technology development maturation

Technology transfer

Valuation

Value proposition

Link to relevant websites

http://www.iphandbook.org/handbook/ch09/

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