Authors
Adam Rosik, Łukasiewicz Research Network – ITECH Institute of Innovation and Technology, adam.rosik@itech.lukasiewicz.gov.pl
Andrzej Jarząbek, Łukasiewicz Research Network – ITECH Institute of Innovation and Technology, andrzej.jarzabek@itech.lukasiewicz.gov.pl
Aim of the project
The aim of the project is to increase the efficiency of R&D projects and the effectiveness of commercialization of their final products by providing a complete set of technology and market information from the perspective of intellectual property (IP) management.
Within the various stages of the innovation process, which involve different engagements of inventors, R&D personnel, R&D managers, IP managers, commercialization specialists, and research directors, each stakeholder requires support in the form of a variety of carefully selected information and relevant conclusions.
Patent Research Integrator provides knowledge gathered from a wide range of patent analyses. The results and recommendations from these analyses enable inventors to solve their technical problems and minimize the risk of making wrong decisions regarding the direction of research work or the protection of existing intellectual property.
Short description of the problem addressed by this project
The main problem of RTOs in patent research is that patent analyses are not available at the same level to all participants in the innovation process. The unknown completeness and reliability of data extracted from patent databases by non-experts is also an issue. Users of publicly available patent search engines struggle with differences in their functionality and ergonomics, which reduces the quality of the results obtained.
A significant challenge for RTOs is the need for complete information to build and optimally implement R&D strategy and apply cost-effective tactics to protect intellectual property. The former results in ‘dead ends’ and a long time spent on the R&D phase, while the latter makes it difficult to monetize the patent portfolio.
In addition, RTO departments responsible for submitting applications for public funding, relying only on their own resources, have the problem of preparing a large number of documents (e.g., state-of-the-art reports) in a short period of time, presenting the innovativeness of a given project against existing solutions.
Poor information sharing between R&D staff, IP managers, and end-product commercialisers is a common operational problem in organizations. This results in a loss of synergy between stakeholders within the RTO and, at a macro level, negatively affects the relationship between the R&D sector and the commercial market.
Main results and achievements
The project achieved the following results:
- an interdisciplinary group of expert technologists and patent attorneys from different technology topics;
- professional platform using advanced AI algorithms, giving access to all patent documentation gathered worldwide;
- readiness to perform a broad spectrum of qualitative patent research (state of the art, patentability, purity, scope of patent protection);
- readiness to provide a range of IP services to businesses, in particular, research on the patent activity of economic operators and identifying competitors and potential partners;
- readiness to perform a broad spectrum of quantitative patent research (invention trends, technological landscape) for R&D departments and decision-makers;
- Continuous monitoring of technological patent trends and the status of selected patents and applications.
- Selected deliverables of the Patent Research Integrator:
- “Status and prospects for the development of the hydrogen economy in Poland, 3SI countries and worldwide” – recipient of the study: Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego
- Commercialisation Strategies for all final products of the Lukasiewicz Programmes – recipient of the studies: Lukasiewicz Institutes
- “Seven technological trends that will change the world. Can Poland be a leader in them?” – recipient of the report: ministerial departments of the Republic of Poland.
Conclusion
Patent Research Integrator solves most problems in complex RTO organizations directly or indirectly. It promotes research and services related to intellectual property and the implementation of R&D work. It provides each participant in the innovation process with complete knowledge in the form of readable studies that take into account the specifics of the technology area. The unique value is the integration of the information domains of the inventor, commercialiser, and IP manager. The observable effect is a unified understanding of the technological context, improved R&D planning, and facilitated decision-making in RTO organizations.
Acknowledgments
We would like to put an acknowledgement to the Polish Chamber of Patent and Trademark Attorneys for their help in implementing the project.