Snapshot Brief:

Researchers can learn how to maximise Research Impact potentials out of research projects with the knowledge of handling IPs and exploitation pathways of research outputs (i.e. arising IPs / foreground IPs). Academics and PGR (Post Graduate Research) Students often struggle to comprehend how the term ‘IP (Intellectual Property)’ relates to them and their research projects, due to lack of simplified training contents on IP related courses wherein the attendees can emphasise on ‘using the knowledge on IP rights’ to aid their ongoing research projects rather than ‘becoming an IP expert / IP Attorney’.

Requirements

• Reasonable understanding or experience of undertaking a research project
• Working experience in research-intensive institutions or having an interest to do so
• Knows basics of Intellectual Properties (e.g. patent, copyright, trademark, design right)
• Able to use online training platforms & basic IT tools (e.g. Zoom, Google Meet, MS Office)

Features

• Sharing practical case examples of sample projects & researchers in UK Universities
• Easy to adopt techniques and approaches by Researchers on own research projects
• Explaining bigger picture logic of 'why IPs & IP exploitations' instead of dwelling on IPs
• All-in-One training course capturing the essential needs of a Researcher on IP handling

Target audiences

• Academics in Research-intensive institutions (e.g. University, Research Institutes)
• Post-Graduate (PG) Research Students or Students with Research interest
• Research Support Professionals (in Universities for grant applications by researchers)

Academics and PGR (Post Graduate Research) Students often struggle to comprehend how the term ‘IP (Intellectual Property)’ relates to them and their research projects, due to lack of simplified training contents on IP related courses wherein the attendees can emphasise on ‘using the knowledge on IP rights’ to aid their ongoing research projects rather than ‘becoming an IP expert / IP Attorney’.

This course intends to demystify the basics of IP from a researcher’s view of planning and delivering a research project (which is of the nature of either ‘an exploratory basic research grant / funded-research work towards a problem-solving task’ or ‘yet-to-explore commercialisation pathway development / industry-funded targeted-problem solving work’).

As a researcher, the usual concerns in undertaking a research project include ‘knowing background & arising IPs’, ‘filling up IP management & IP exploitation aspects inside a grant application’, ‘agreeing terms on IP management and IP exploitation arrangement among partners’, and ‘planning technology development aligned to market needs while exploring prior arts’.

Through this training course, one can learn about how Researchers can maximise Research Impact potentials out of research projects with the knowledge of handling IPs and exploitation pathways of research outputs (i.e. arising IPs / foreground IPs).

The context of research environment adopted for delivering this course is of UK Universities (esp. those in England) for referencing/using ‘certain terminologies and rules/regulations on research governance’. However, the training contents are relevant and appropriate to anywhere outside UK too.

What You’ll Learn From This Course

Module-1: Why awareness on IP Commercialisation skills is crucial to Researchers – Basics

Module-2: How to plan and maximise Research Impact out of research projects – Intermediate

Module-3: Hands-on techniques on prior arts search, customer/market identification, and Licensing/Spinout basics – Advanced

All attendees will be provided an acknowledgement certificate (PDF copy) of having completed the training course.

FAQs

Are training contents relevant to ‘researchers and institutions’ outside of the UK)?

Training materials have been prepared in the context of undertaking research projects by researchers in the UK's Higher Education landscape. However, 99% of the course contents are applicable to non-UK working environment (apart from slight differences in the norms/rules of funding and governance mechanisms adopted for researchers and research projects).

How much does a potential trainee need to know Intellectual Properties (IPs) prior to attending this course?

As a minimum expectation on the IP basic knowledge, the researcher/student ought to have read the dictionary meaning of various IP types - Copyright, Design Rights (Registered/Unregistered), Trademark, Confidentiality, Trade Secret, Patent. However, there is no expectation that the potential trainee ought to know in details of how various IP types relate to research projects or innovative ideas.

Is 1-day sufficient to empower a researcher on all aspects of IP & IP Commercialisation?

The Course content and training approach focus mainly on 'the bigger picture logic of why' and 'some readymade tips of using/understanding the IPs' to the 'existing research project or innovative ideas' of the researcher/student. The training contents of this course can be considered as reasonably sufficient for a researcher to gain 'average to good' knowledge on IPs and IP exploitation. However, there is always some gap between learning and executing. The trainee is recommended to read through 'freely available' additional learning resources on IPs and IP exploitation for enhancing knowledge/skills.

Can Staffs from Research Support Office (RSO) or Technology Transfer Office (TTO) in Research Institutions also attend this course?

Yes, the course contents and training approach have been designed with an aim to enable easy understanding by a researcher/academic, thereby the terminologies and wordings used are the ones written from a researcher's perspective. However, Staffs in Research Support Office (RSO) or Technology Transfer Office (TTO) of various institutions may find the course contents useful, if the topic of IP and IP exploitation is still new to them.