Valorisation is 'the process of translating knowledge and expertise into products, services and guidelines that have a positive impact on society’. As valorisation is one of the four core tasks of an academic medical center, according to this definition, Amsterdam UMC has the societal obligation to contribute to a healthier society.
Valorisation in Amsterdam UMC
In recent years, the Executive Board commissioned a strategic action plan to increase Amsterdam UMC’s efforts in creating can value for society. A significant step in setting out the valorisation policy of Amsterdam UMC has been the recent appointment of a Vice Dean for Valorisation and the establishment of the Amsterdam Valorisation Board (AVB), consisting of sixteen valorisation officers (one translational and one medical officer for each research institute), the two Vice Deans of Education & Training, a representative of Innovation Exchange Amsterdam (IXA) and a number of staff consultants. On behalf of the Board of Directors, the position paper ‘Valorisation: from academic knowledge to social impact’ was presented in September 2023. Nine extra business developers and impact developers were added to the IXA team, supporting the research institutes with the execution of their valorisation strategy. A Societal Advisory Board will be set up to hold Amsterdam UMC accountable and make sure that the outside world is able to contribute ideas to our valorisation policy.
The following sections describe basic information about the valorisation processes that are typical for Amsterdam UMC.
Ownership of research results and intellectual property (IP) rights
To ensure that an invention retains commercial potential, protection of the invention is crucial. According to the Dutch Patent Act of 1995 (Rijksoctrooiwet), all research results and inventions — including data, computer software, apps, computer databases, prototype devices, and biological materials (cell lines, plasmids, etc.) — developed by UMC employees are owned by the institution. In addition, the UMC owns the corresponding IP rights.
According to article 9.4 of the CAO UMC, employees are obliged to notify their employer of any potentially patentable invention produced or coproduced by them in connection with the performance of their job, and to do so at the earliest possible stage. If an inventor works for multiple employers, it may be the case that the invention is jointly owned. If a collaborative research project with a third party results in an invention, it is important that the parties have made specific arrangements about the ownership of IP at the start of the collaboration (see Chapter 'Research collaboration agreements').
Protection of knowledge
Research results can be protected through various legal means, for instance through copyright, trademark or patents. Patents are the most relevant means of knowledge protection for research inventions, granting the owner exclusive rights for new products or processes. A patent consists of a set of claims that when granted by a sovereign state to an applicant can be used by the owner to prevent a third party from using or marketing the invention (or products/methods based on the invention) without permission. Patents provide this right for a limited period of time (20 years) in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention.
Bringing a new invention to the market is a costly and risky process. A patent allows a company the time for return on investment associated with the design, development and marketing of the innovation. Thus, a successfully filed patent can represent a great financial and social value if there is a market for the invention it describes.
Patentable inventions include novel products, processes, apparatuses, compositions of matter, and living organisms, or improvements to existing technology in these categories. Inventions must have an industrial applicability; abstract ideas, services, principles, and phenomena of nature cannot be patented.
Premature disclosure of knowledge in the form of articles and publications, conference presentations, or public discussions jeopardizes patent protection. Prior to any disclosure, it is therefore obligatory to verify whether knowledge protection is necessary. Once a patent application has been filed, the knowledge can in general be published.
Valorisation of research results
Valorisation strategies
As valorisation can take different forms, the AVB has developed a framework to categorize the different valorisation strategies. These four valorisation strategies lie on a spectrum ranging from innovation to dissemination, from modernization to the spread of academic knowledge.
- Inside out: The inside-out strategy mainly follows the classic route of technology transfer in innovation, e.g. a drug candidate or a software tool that is further developed into a (patentable) product, which may be licensed to an external party that has the expertise and funding it takes to further develop the product and bring it to society/the market.
- Outside in: The outside-in strategy involves research partnerships and contract research in the field of translational clinical and/or public health research that is commissioned by external parties. The resulting intellectual property (IP) is often not owned by Amsterdam UMC.
- Partnerships: Partnerships may be research collaborations or consortia that co-create knowledge that may lead to new products, services and interventions.
- Societal outreach: Societal outreach encompasses all types of contributions to education, the public debate and/or public interest.
Valorisation support for researchers: IXA
Innovation Exchange Amsterdam (IXA) is Amsterdam UMC’s dedicated team that support researchers and other employees with valorisation. Business developers and impact developers from IXA help converting research results and knowledge into ground-breaking innovations and applications. They are matchmakers between researchers from our institution and companies or societal entities that are interested in using the knowledge developed within Amsterdam UMC. IXA is responsible for concluding license and collaboration agreements and for the guidelines related to intellectual property (IP) These IP guidelines are captured in the Knowledge Exploitation Regulations/ Regeling Kennisexploitatie (in Dutch). They are applicable to any person within Amsterdam UMC and include arrangements for remunerating inventors. The IP guidelines follow the basic rules for valorisation, as formulated by the Dutch federation of university medical centers (NFU) in their brochure Naar een goede waarde (only available in Dutch). If valorisation involves the use of body material or data obtained from human subjects, the rights and privacy of the respective subjects must be guaranteed (see Chapter 'Dealing with human subjects involved in research' and Chapter 'Research data management'). Impact developers focus more on societal impact through dissemination, they try to establish co-creation initiatives between Amsterdam UMC and external stakeholders. Furthermore, they support societal impact initiatives and facilitate the social cost-benefit analysis and justification for our efforts in the area of healthcare innovation for society.
Support
For all aspects discussed in this chapter—advice on the publication of research results, patenting of inventions, management of IP, negotiating contracts with external parties, setting up start-up companies based on Amsterdam UMC technologies, co-creation initiatives and societal impact initiatives—IXA should be involved (info@ixa.nl). In close collaboration with researchers, IXA ensures that the Amsterdam UMC’s interests are safeguarded. See for more information the IXA website, or contact IXA via email.