glossary
"Project background: The knowledge, including Intellectual Property Rights, that the party or parties bring into projects." (from NTNU Policy for intellectual property rights - IPR)
In practice, it often refers to information held by the parties prior to their accession to this Consortium Agreement, as well as copyrights or other intellectual property rights related to such information, which are needed for carrying out the project or for utilizing Foreground IP. Learn more about how Background IP in collaborative projects from Background in EU-funded projects - European Commission.
Commercial Readiness Level (CRL) or Commercial Readiness Index (CRI) is a tool used to assess the commercial maturity of a technology or product, focusing on its readiness for market deployment. It is similar to the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) but focuses specifically on the commercial aspects rather than just the technical development.
It helps organizations understand the steps needed to bring a product to market and ensure its commercial success. The CRL framework consists of multiple stages, each reflecting a different level of commercial readiness. It begins with Concept Validation and Market Research—most relevant phases for transforming academic research into marketable innovations.
By taking the CRL assessment, organizations (e.g., the European Institute of Innovation & Technology) can systematically evaluate and track the progress of their technology or product from initial concept to full commercial deployment. This helps identify potential risks, necessary resources, and key milestones that need to be achieved to ensure a successful market launch and growth.
Kommersialisering - Competitive Readiness Index (CRI) from Enova (in Norwegian)
CRL application from European Institute of Innovation & Technology (EIT)
The international FAIR principles have been developed as a set of guidelines to facilitate further use of research data. In practice it means research data must be of a quality that makes it findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable. The management of research data in projects that receive funding from the Research Council must follow the FAIR principles, as much as possible.
More from openscience.no in Norwegian
"Freedom to operate" (FTO) is a legal concept in technology and product commercialization that refers to the ability to develop, produce, and market a product or technology without infringing on the intellectual property (IP) rights of others. It involves conducting a thorough analysis to ensure that the new technology or product does not violate existing patents, trademarks, or other IP rights, which could lead to legal disputes or restrictions on market entry.
FTO assessments are crucial for companies to avoid potential legal issues and to ensure that they have the necessary rights to commercialize their innovations. This process typically includes:
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Patent Searches: Conducting comprehensive searches to identify existing patents that may be relevant to the new technology or product.
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Legal Analysis: Evaluating the identified patents to determine whether the new technology or product infringes on any of the claims.
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Risk Assessment: Assessing the potential risks and implications of any identified IP conflicts.
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Mitigation Strategies: Developing strategies to address any identified risks, such as obtaining licenses, designing around existing patents, or challenging the validity of the patents.
Learn more about FTO under section “Advanced IP knowledge” by European IP Helpdesk Europe - E-Learning - European Commission
More about FTO in context of innovation from Innovation Norge (in Norwegian)
A FTOS involves a comprehensive analysis to determine whether a process, technology, or product can be developed, produced, and marketed without infringing on the intellectual property (IP) rights of others. The fundamental steps in an FTO search are:
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Define the Scope: Clearly define the product, process, or technology to be analyzed. This includes understanding its components, features, and intended use.
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Conduct Patent Searches: Perform thorough searches of patent databases to identify existing patents that may be relevant to the product or technology. This includes searching for patents in the jurisdictions where the product will be manufactured, sold, or used.
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Analyze Patent Claims: Carefully review the claims of the identified patents to determine their scope and relevance.
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Assess Infringement Risk: Evaluate whether the product or technology infringes on any of the identified patent claims. This requires a detailed comparison of the product's features with the patent claims.
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Consult with Legal Experts (if necessary): Work with patent attorneys or IP experts to ensure a thorough and accurate analysis. They can provide legal opinions and guidance on the best course of action.
Learn more about FTOS under section “Advanced IP knowledge” by European IP Helpdesk Europe - E-Learning - European Commission
“Things created by the mind. These may include inventions, trademarks, designs, production processes, methods, databases, research data, various types of creative work, know-how and trade secrets.”
“All rights to technical solutions, methods, processes and procedures, regardless of whether or not these are or may be patented, as well as all copyrights and rights to trademarks, designs, plant varieties, databases, integrated circuit layout designs, drawings, specifications, prototypes, trade secrets and the like.” from NTNU IPR policy.
Innovation and knowledge management:
NTNU webside for quick review of topics in innovation and knowledge management
The potential of a work or proposal for impact on research, society and trade and industry, typically through disseminating knowledge and implementing research results.
More about impact evaluation from Horizon Europe
IPR protection refers to the safeguarding of intellectual property, which includes creations of the mind such as literary works, films, pieces of music, and works of art. These rights are protected by law to ensure that creators can control and benefit from their creations.
To control and own the value of your work, here are some key options for intellectual property (IP) protection:
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Patents: Protect inventions and provide the patent holder with the exclusive right to use, make, sell, and distribute the invention for a certain period, typically 20 years from the filing date. Norwegian Industrial Property Office (in Norwegian)
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Trademarks: Protect brand names, logos, and other identifiers that distinguish goods or services. Trademarks can be renewed indefinitely as long as they are in use.
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Design Protection: Protects the visual design of objects that are not purely utilitarian. This can include the shape, configuration, pattern, or ornamentation of a product.
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Licenses: Legal agreements that allow others to use your IP under defined conditions. This can include software licenses, patent licenses, and more.
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Standards: Established norms or requirements about technical systems. Adhering to standards can help ensure compatibility and interoperability of products and services.
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Publication Licenses: Agreements that allow the use of published works under specific conditions. This can include academic articles, books, and other publications. Publication with Open Access
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Open Source Licenses: Licenses that allow software to be freely used, modified, and shared. Open source in NTNU
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Confidentiality Agreements (or Non-Discloure Agreement): Legal contracts that protect sensitive information from being disclosed to unauthorized parties. Commonly used in business negotiations and partnerships.
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Business Secrets: Information that is not generally known or readily accessible, which provides a competitive advantage. Protection is maintained through confidentiality measures. Trade Secrets Act (in Norwegian
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Copyrights: Protect original works of authorship, such as literary, musical, and artistic works. Copyrights give the creator exclusive rights to use and distribute the work.
Copyrights in NTNU:
Webinar courses on IPR Protection in Research and Innovation Public Funded Projects
Knowledge Transfer means any process which has the aim of acquiring, collecting and sharing explicit and tacit knowledge, including skills and competence in both economic and non-economic activities such as research collaborations, consultancy, licensing, spin-off creation, publication and mobility of researchers and other personnel involved in those activities. Besides scientific and technological knowledge, it includes other kinds of knowledge such as knowledge on the use of standards and regulations embedding them and on conditions of real life operating environments and methods for organisational innovation, as well as management of knowledge related to identifying, acquiring, protecting, defending and exploiting intangible assets. More understanding in the context of funding opportunities for early phase techonogy transfer by Norwegian Research Council (in Norwegian)
"Knowledge valorization is the process of creating social and economic value from knowledge by linking different areas and sectors and transforming data, know-how and research results into sustainable products, services, solutions and knowledge-based policies that benefit society." More on hot topics, best practices, get involved, events, news and background from EU Knowledge Valorisation Platform.
MTA is a contract governing the transfer of materials between two parties. It defines the rights of the provider and the recipient with respect to the materials and any derivatives. MTAs can help to ensure a common understanding as to what is being shared, for what purpose, and how it can be used. For example, MTAs are regularly used to govern the transfer of biological materials, such as samples from lab. More information on MTA from NTNU Contract templates and signing authority.
“The right of the creator/author to be named in the manner required by proper usage, as well as the author’s right to object to the work being altered or made available in a way or in a context that is prejudicial to his/her literary, academic or artistic reputation or individuality, or to the reputation or individuality of the work.” from NTNU IPR policy.
A Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) is a valuable tool for sharing confidential information with potential partners or investors while protecting sensitive information. NDAs are commonly used when/before parties enter discussions about specific processes, methods, or technologies with purpose to explore future collaboration.
NDA template from NTNU Contract templates and signing authority.
According to NTNU IPR policy, all Results, IP, Data and Physical Material with a potential for commercial utilization must be reported by the employee (creator) to the university through the employee’s line manager and to NTNU TTO (Submit your idea to TTO).
"Open science refers to a set of principles for greater openness and transparency in the research process, as well as open access to the results of research and teaching activity." (from NTNU Open Science web )
A patent and patent application are effective but costly options for protecting inventions and providing the patent holder with the exclusive right to use, make, sell, and distribute the invention for a certain period, typically 20 years from the filing date. Some of results from research and innovation work need to be protected by patent to secure Freedom to Operate competitiveness and rights to exploit commercially.
To assess the patentability of ideas and results, see more about the detailed procedure in practice from Guidelines for NTNU intellectual property rights - IPR
Foreground IP means the results, including information, whether or not they can be protected, which are generated under the Project. Such results include rights related to copyright, design rights, patent rights, or similar forms of protection.
RRI offers techniques, tools, and frameworks for thinking about issues of social responsibility. The RRI methodology is a tool you can use to embed methods and processes to assess four key dimensions related to research and innovation. More for RRI and How you can describe RRI in a research or innovation plan.
The term project stakeholder refers to an individual, group, or organization that may affect, be affected by, or perceive itself to be affected by a decision, activity, or outcome of a project.
Internal stakeholders in a project focused on Knowledge Valorisation aim to maximize the transformation of research and innovation results into solutions that benefit society. This often requires a multi-actor approach, meaning the involvement of a diverse set of stakeholders, particularly end-users and those who will use the project’s results. More for a diverse set of stakeholders in collaborative research and innovation.
External stakeholders also play a crucial role. According to the European Commission’s Communicating and Raising EU Visibility: Guidance for External Actions, they help in ensuring that the results of the project are communicated effectively and that the EU’s visibility is raised in the process.
Technology maturity is often measured on a so-called TRL scale. This scale estimates how far the technology has progress in the development process, which documentation exists for the technology's performance, and on which scale. TRL assessment is often required in research and innovation plan, typically for EU funded R&D&I projects. Projects can identify actions and milestones related to technology, market and business components depending on the maturity of the technology.
The overall process is conventionally divided into four project phases: Phase 1 covering TRL 1 to 4 is the initial Research and Development; Phase 2 from TRL 5 to 6 is for the development of a prototype system; Phase 3 from TRL 7 to 8 the first commercialised field system, and; Phase 4 at TRL 9 is the launch.
NTNU TTO forms part of NTNU’s ecosystem for innovation and commercialization.
As a basic rule, the university is to be notified through NTNU TTO of all results and all physical material with the potential for commercial exploitation. In a professional manner, NTNU TTO is to assess the commercial basis for all ideas (project and work results) and inventions of which NTNU TTO is notified.
Guidelines for NTNU intellectual property rights - IPR