1k. wurr, desy-ttpg-sg-cern council 16.01.2006 spin-offs & technology transfer from hep research...

K. Wurr, DESY-TT PG-SG-CERN Council 16.01.2006 1

Spin-offs & Technology Transferfrom HEP research

Some impressions from DESY and elsewhere

CERN Council Strategy GroupPreparatory Group Meeting 4

Monday 16 January 2006

Presentation byKarsten Wurr - DESY


Motivations & ExpectationsInternal Motivations• explore the frontiers of knowledge• have the required academic freedom• combine the best „brains“ for science• get the needed machines and instruments for research• free access to all know-how and technologies

External Expectations• answer basic research questions = deliver new knowledge• justify costs – or save expenses• handle all assets (incl. intellectual property) in a professional way• deliver solutions to technical problems• qualify highly skilled professionals• increase gross national product• …• pay reasonable wages

Funding Employees Industry Intellectual Property


Other criteria to evaluate Spin-offs

By recipient – who gains something from HEP?• Science• Industry• Employees• Politics / Governments• Society / Regions• People / Consumers

Not chosen here, because it would afford an approach much too broad


Other criteria to evaluate Spin-offs

By field of science or branch – where input from HEP is important• existing fields strongly influenced by HEP

mechanical engineering UHV-vacuum electrical engineering electronics RF

superconductivitycryogenics controls and instrumentaton, data storage …

• existing fields originating from HEP

accelerator technologies particle sourcessuper-fluid He-cooling synchrotron radiation

internet …• emerging fields originating from HEP

FEL grid computing

e-science …

Not chosen here, because it would be too detailed to lead anywhere.


Different kinds of Spin-offs

• Know-how & Technology Transfer• Industrial Cooperation & Service• Skilled people• General Impacts

By service – which is delivered

Chosen here, because it- matches common statistics and key figure systems- complies with usual organisation of markets and enterprises- opens opportunities for concrete actions


Know-how & Technology TransferIdentification and handling of inventions by • scientists• lab management• TT-unit

Protection of intellectual property through • patents: utility, novelty, and nonobviousness • copyrights: creation of new written or drawn work• trade marks: uniqueness

Transmission of know-how and technologies via• publications, workshops and conferences …• teaching (summer schools, university lectures …)• licenses• startups• confidential cooperations• procurement (industrial learning by this)


Know-how & Technology Transfer

Deficits• inventions often published before they are checked for patentability• no automatic look on opportunities for „other uses“ (entrepreneurship)• underrated incentive mechanism for employees• conditions for protecting / licensing inventions differ much among labs• missing clearness in use of protection means• lacking overall strategy and man-power for TT• know-how relation to industry is largely a „black box“• no guarantee for inventing lab to gain from exploitation of an invention


Know-how & Technology Transfer

Recommendations• Find better measures to timely identify serendipitous inventions• Use income from know-how transfer to motivate employees• Gather information on best TT practice from all labs and

disseminate them• Agree on standards for use of protection means• Reach a consensus for transmission and exploitation of know-how• Involve industry in long term planning through e.g. industry fora• Reflect if knowledge management systems might be useful


Industrial Cooperation & Service

• advice by scientists on request from industry

• borrowing of test specimens or standards to industry

• use of labs‘ (test) facilities by industry

• production of prototypes by or for industry

• developments via procurement contracts by industry

• cost evaluation for large scale projects

• joint research contracts with industry

• …


Industrial Cooperation & Service

Recommendations• discuss requirements and conditions for cooperations with industry• gather best practice examples on cooperations (and procurement)• collect and publish possible services to industry• evaluate internal effort in industrial relations properly• take transparent market prices for services• reserve a percentage of the labs‘ resources for external requests

Deficits• unclear or unfavorable access to know-how and exploitation rights• price for industrial use of facilities often not oriented at market prices• labs‘ experts are often too „booked up“ with internal work• lacking central contacts for service brokering• serendipitious findings are often stopped by a „prototyping gap“


Skilled People• Industry (technological learning in companies)• Public learning• Scientists (Physics, Informatics…)

Almost40% of the Nobel Prices in Physics of the past 50 years


Skilled People

Deficits- data on scientists lacking or quite old (OPAL: last update 2000)- industrial learning effects on industry only partially understood- no constant monitoring and publishing of the „education impact“

Recommendations

- regular evaluation of HEP-personnel‘s CV after HEP research

(follow up into 1st job, record, provide statistics)- consider initiation of institutional Alumni Programmes- regular examination of industrial learning effects- include „education impact“ in reporting to funding agencies


General Impacts

Technical impacts• extending the limits for technical equipment and applications• strong demand for new technologies, e.g. information technologies

(www, grid computing, e-science,…)

Business impacts• labs as marketing reference for industry• knowledge build-up at companies through lab contracts• development of new products as outcome of lab contracts• labs pay full cost for demanding products and their development

Socio-economic impacts• jobs, taxes etc. for the region/nation of each centre• development• „open access“ to information


General Impacts

Deficits- general impacts are„felt“ – but not really understood or quantified- general impacts is not well known to public and politics

Recommendations- collect these different impacts- evaluate and quantify the general impacts if possible - report regularly and publicly on these impacts- include „general impacts“ in reporting to funding agencies- reflect the possibilities to certify „trusted suppliers“


General recommendations

Do not focus on short-term technological demands but find institutionalised ways to exploit serendipitous findings

Close and institutionalised TT cooperation, at least in Europe

Collect and disseminate best practice examples Concerted and collaborative action in the application of

emerging technologies with other sciences Strengthen the relationship to industry Make sure to ask and to be asked the right questions

about HEP spin-offs


Thank you for your attention!

1k. wurr, desy-ttpg-sg-cern council 16.01.2006 spin-offs & technology transfer from hep research...

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