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Academic institutions need to adapt IPR strategies to fulfil their role in Europe’s innovation ecosystem

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ALLEA published the statement ‘The Need for Intellectual Property Rights Strategies at Academic Institutions’ today. The publication formulates recommendations both to scientific organisations and European and national legislators and highlights the importance of managing intangible assets with due consideration of intellectual property rights (IPR).

The increasing relevance of intangible assets, such as computer software or patented technology, in today’s economy requires fundamental rethinking and a cultural change in the management of IP portfolios in scientific organisations just as it does in companies. With its statement, ALLEA addresses this shift of economic relevance from tangible to intangible assets and urges academic institutions to adopt adequate IPR strategies which ensure that knowledge transfer benefits society, for example in public-private partnerships. It also presents options to European and national legislators on ways to incentivise the translation of publicly funded research results into IP-protected innovative products and processes.

The statement has been produced by ALLEA’s Permanent Working Group on Intellectual Property Rights, which comprises experts from various disciplines and from academies across Europe.

“Europe risks lagging behind other regions in incentivising knowledge transfer for innovation. Academic institutions and policymakers must prepare better for the pivotal economic shift towards intangible assets and adapt their legal frameworks and academic plans to efficiently respond to these trends”, said Professor Joseph Straus, Chair of the ALLEA Permanent Working Group on Intellectual Property Rights.

The statement recommends to academic institutions:

  • To adopt a holistic approach as regards to their IP strategies, in order to remain attractive as partners in public-private partnerships (PPP) or for third party funding.
  • To raise awareness of the importance of IPR for innovation on both the micro- and macroeconomic scale and developing models which adequately remunerate employees in case of a successful commercialisation of research findings.
  • To make available financial and human resources in order to secure in-house structures or external mechanisms to deal with invention disclosures, filing and prosecution of IPRs, as well as the monitoring of granted IPRs.
  • To establish clear rules around the ownership in and handling of IPRs in cases of commercial spin-outs.

The statement furthermore advises European and national legislators:

  • To devise legal frameworks similar to those adopted in the US, China, Japan, and the Republic of Korea.
  • To introduce a grace period into patent law, and to consider preferential tax treatment for income generated through commercialisation of publicly funded research.
  • To better support cooperation between academic institutions in the commercialisation of their research results and to optimise cooperation of existing Technology Transfer Offices (TTOs).

Europe risks lagging behind other regions in incentivising knowledge transfer for innovation. Academic institutions and policymakers must prepare better for the pivotal economic shift towards intangible assets and adapt their legal frameworks and academic plans to efficiently respond to these trends

Download the full statement here

 

 

Science Academies need to be less self-centred and more open to society, says ALLEA President

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ALLEA President Antonio Loprieno was one of the speakers at the conference “The Role of Academies in Sustaining European Knowledge Societies in Time of Crisis”, which took place in Turin on 7 and 8 November.

“Our contemporary knowledge is social knowledge, not individual. Which means that our Academies need to embrace the social dimension of knowledge and science activity. And that  means embracing science communications and open access.”, said Antonio Loprieno in his presentation.

The event, which focused on discussing the function of Academies today, both in general and with particular reference to the European crisis, was a part of the ALLEA conference series Europe on Test: Narratives of Union and Disunion. It was co-organised by ALLEA and its member, the Academy of Sciences of Turin.

The full programme and videos of the lectures that took place during the event are on the website of the Academy of Sciences of Turin. Following the event, Antonio Loprieno was interviewed by Italy’s national public broadcasting company Radiotelevisione italiana (RAI). The interview in Italian is available on-line.

“Europe on Test: Narratives of Union and Disunion” is a series of conferences under the patronage of ALLEA and hosted by selected Academies of Sciences and Humanities in various European cities. It seeks to address recent political developments and other aspects of relevance that may pose a challenge for the future of Europe as a community.

The Future of Research: Assessing the impact of Plan S

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Impacts of Plan S on researchers, research-intensive institutions, societies and publishers were debated at an international symposium organised by Academia Europea Cardiff Knowledge Hub and KU Leuven Libraries.

The event took place in Leuven on 5 and 6 November. An audience of around 130 gathered at the historic Leuven Institute for Ireland in Europe. ALLEA was represented by its Board Member Luke Drury, who underlined some of the key points introduced by the ALLEA statement on Plan S.

ALLEA’s work was also presented to the participants at an exhibition accompanying the event. The materials were in high demand from the audience, especially ALLEA’s statement on Plan S. SAPEA, the project on science advice for policy that ALLEA is involved in, also exhibited its materials.

A more detailed report on the event is available on the website of Academia Europaea.

Save the Date: 2020 ALLEA General Assembly

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We are happy to announce that the UK Member Academies of ALLEA will host the next General Assembly in London on 3-4 June 2020. Save the date and do not miss the updates of the programme and the event by following us on our social media, our newsletter and our conference website.

As in past editions, the annual meeting of European Academies will include a scientific symposium which will bring together international scholars and scientists, high-rank European policymakers as well as the interested public to discuss the most pressing issues for the scientific community in Europe. Next year’s theme will be ‘Research Collaboration in Changing Times’.

Further information on the programme and speakers will be released soon. Registration for the event will start in the beginning of 2020.

Europe: From Old Narratives to Today’s Politics

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ALLEA and the Polish Academy of Sciences convened the conference ‘Europe on Test: The Onus of the Past – and the Necessities of the Future’ at the Staszic Palace in Warsaw on 11 October 2019. Local as well as international scholars and experts addressed how different collective memories in European societies impact today’s politics in Europe. Discussants explored which role concepts such as ‘European Identity’ and ‘European Solidarity’ can play in overcoming historical tensions as well as current and future challenges.

Different conceptions of Europe and democracy have evolved in Western and Central Europe. This division evolved in line with collective memories in societies of ‘old’ and ‘new’ EU member states.  In most cases, historical framings persist in current political narratives and thus also in conceptions of democracy. In the case of Central European countries such as Poland the concept of national sovereignty is closely linked to the arrival of democracy and the integration into the EU, whereas Western countries predominantly focus on the rule of law and the protection of individual rights, based on collective memories of the end of the Second World War.

The conference explored how such collective memories of nations evolve and how they affect processes such as European integration and recent political developments such as a move towards so called ‘illiberal democracy’, thereby showing that both narratives of European union and disunion can easily be exploited by political leaders in order to mobilize their electorates.

“The era of ideologies has been replaced by an era of identities. This is accompanied by a transformation of our modes of communication that tends to favour emotional and easily transmittable messages on complex issues over a rational and deliberative debate” – Antonio Loprieno, ALLEA President

An Era of Emotions and Identities?

In his opening address, ALLEA President Antonio Loprieno expressed his gratitude to the Polish Academy of Sciences for organising such a high-class event and shared his observation that “the era of ideologies has been replaced by an era of identities. This is accompanied by a transformation of our modes of communication that tends to favour emotional and easily transmittable messages on complex issues over a rational and deliberative debate.

The opening session included a lecture by Professor Anton Pelinka from Austria and a panel discussion on the role of history and collective memories of the past in the making of European polity, whilst the second panel, starting with a lecture by Professor Krzysztof Pomian from Poland, discussed European identity as a potential key to overcoming historical tensions.

Professor Claus Offe from Germany opened the third session, which focused on European interests as a shared responsibility. The event concluded with a talk by Virginie Guiraudon from France and a subsequent panel discussion on how to achieve European solidarity by meeting the challenges of today and shaping the future of Europe.

Europe on Test Series

The event was part of ALLEA’s ‘Europe on Test: Narratives of Union and Disunion’ series, which seeks to address historical trajectories as well as recent cultural, social, economic and political developments relevant for the future of the European community.

The next conference will be held at the Accademia delle Scienze di Torino on 7-8 November, where renowned Italian and international scholars will join to discuss ‘The Role of Academies in Sustaining European Knowledge Societies in Times of Crisis’.

 

Visit the conference website for more information on the programme and speakers.

 

 

 

ALLEA discusses Plan S at the Open Science Fair 2019

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The 2019 Open Science Fair in Porto held on 16 to 18 September, featured a panel discussion on Plan S, the open access plan initiated by coalition of European funders to make all publicly funded-research open access from 2021.

On behalf of European academies and the academic community, ALLEA Board Member Luke Drury provided some insights on the current status of the project and underlined some of the key points introduced by the ALLEA statement on this matter.

The lively debate, chaired and facilitated by Inge van Nieuwerburgh (Ghent University), brought together various perspectives from national funding agencies, the so-called “Coalition S” and young researchers represented by Koen Vermeir, Chair of the Global Young Academy. The discussion focused on the need to include repositories and new publications models in order to avoid a continuation of the existing journal system.

The current status of Plan S was presented by Neil Jacobs, the interim programme manager for Plan S, who emphasised that there are, and always have been, multiple routes to compliance for Plan S and not only Gold Open Access. This model requires authors to publish their articles in an online open access journal in contrast to Green Open Access which allows for publishing in an a repository at the same time than releasing the research in non-open access journal.

The presentations from the event are available here.

Picture Credit: OSF

The Future of Science Advice in Europe

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SAPEA is organising “The Future of Science Advice in Europe”, a series of panel discussions and workshops to be held in Helsinki on 13 November. The one-day symposium will address current experiences and models for providing expertise to policymakers in Europe.

The event will take place at the National Museum of Finland (Kansallismuseo) and counts with the participation of international scholars and practioners. The event will focus on emerging trends, weak signals, and promising opportunities for developing next-generation science advice capabilities for Finland and across Europe.

ALLEA is part of SAPEA (Science Advice for Policy by European Academies) as one of its five networks. The project aims to provide independent and excellent scientific advice to the European Commission’s Group of Chief Scientific Advisors. As such, SAPEA is part of the broader European Commission’s Science Advice Mechanism.

Learn more

150th Anniversary of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences

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The Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS) celebrated its 150th anniversary on 11-13 October in Sofia. ALLEA, represented by its Vice-President Graham Caie (Royal Society of Edinburgh), joined the commemorative event, which was attended by prominent national and international policy and research-related representatives.

 

In his speech, ALLEA Vice-President remarked that “the history of this academy is testament to how evidence-based science as a common good, transgresses natural borders, to deliver knowledge not only at national and regional levels, but also to the global community.”

“The academy has proven its excellence in providing policy for the development of science and research, for instance, by accounting for about half of the scientific output in Bulgaria, by establishing c. 50 research units, as well as through its active participation in the European Research Area. […] The academy’s importance for advancements in scientific research and policy for Bulgaria, the Balkans, for Europe and globally, is therefore evident and highly admirable”, he said.

BAS has been an active member of ALLEA as one of its founding academies and hosted the 2018 General Assembly.  ALLEA warmly congratulates the academy on reaching this milestone and wish them continuing success in upholding scientific integrity and research.

Vice-President Graham Caie (Royal Society of Edinburgh) giving his speech. Photo by courtesy of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS).

European Academies call for Excellence, Fairness and Openness in the Implementation of Horizon Europe

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ALLEA submitted a statement to the European Commission calling for a strong and well-resourced framework programme guided by principles of excellence, fairness and openness, and making concrete suggestions on their implementation in the current draft of the Commission’s Strategic Plan on Horizon Europe.

Within the frame of open consultations on the EU’s next Research and Innovation Framework Programme Horizon Europe, ALLEA, through its Working Group Horizon Europe, has produced the statement “Delivering Horizon Europe”. Considering the European Commission’s Orientations towards the Strategic Plan implementing the research and innovation framework programme Horizon Europe as well as discussions during the recent Research and Innovation Days, ALLEA reiterates its priorities and provides concrete suggestions for amendments to the programme.

In order to achieve better conditions for research and innovation in the EU in the coming decades, and to position European research successfully in a competitive global environment, ALLEA believes it is of vital importance to consider the following points in the implementation process of Horizon Europe:

  • Focus on funding excellence and ‘blue sky thinking’ through successful instruments like the European Research Council (ERC);
  • Continue and intensify support for research mobility through programmes like Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) or ERASMUS;
  • Arrange for fair and equal distribution of funds on the different clusters of Pillar 2 “Global Challenges and Industrial Competitiveness” in Horizon Europe;
  • Follow a broad understanding of innovation which goes beyond technological innovation and hence supports interdisciplinarity, and which recognizes the value of humanities and social sciences in a less technocratic and instrumental way;
  • Establish an independent, critical and continuous assessment of “Missions” in Horizon Europe;
  • Continue “Institutional Partnerships” from Horizon 2020;
  • Ensure Horizon Europe is ‘open to the world’ and allows for broad participation of Associated Countries.

 

In Memoriam: Professor Giancarlo Vecchio

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It is with great sadness that we inform about the passing of long-standing member and immediate past chair of ALLEA’s Science Education Working Group, Professor Giancarlo Vecchio, who deceased on 1 October 2019 in Naples. Professor Vecchio, representing the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, has contributed to the activities in the Working Group over many years, and has been highly recognised by his colleagues as an engaged and knowledgeable promoter of science education whose experience and expertise was second to none. His efforts and engagement for science education in general, and for the work of ALLEA in this field in particular, give true testimony to his dedication towards the next generation, who he felt should benefit from science and research in the best possible way.

Professor Vecchio will be sorely missed and our thoughts are with his family and loved ones.