Intellectual property (IP) matters

Maximising commercial and socio-economic impact of University research and knowledge, with specialist advice and support regarding intellectual assets
Test tubes with pipette in closeup
Members of staff, students, consultants or others who carry out work on behalf of the University or with the benefit of University resources or assets, leading to the relevant IP vesting in or being assigned or licensed to the University, must notify the University of the creation of IP as soon as reasonably possible by completion of a confidential innnovation disclosure and originators form . The information given on the form is confidential and is used only for the purpose of review, evaluation, risk management and/or seeking protection of the disclosed IP.
It is through the completion of the Innovation Disclosure Form that the University obtains details of IP, inventors, co-inventors, co-authors and other interested parties, and any restrictions on registration or commercialisation which may be contained in any collaborative agreements or funding conditions imposed by third parties. This then enables the Specialist IP advisors to consider the question of ownership and any barriers to or limitations on the commercialisation or registration (and any resulting impact on the value or ownership) of the IP.
In cases where multiple innovators are identified on the Innovation Disclosure Form or through subsequent discussions, an Originator’s Form (see – Part C of the innnovation disclosure and originators form ) is available for the relevant individuals and any third parties to complete if they are willing to work with us to commercialise the IP. This then forms a useful starting point to establish an agreement for joint commercialisation as appropriate and the sharing of Net Revenue between those owners.

Following a formal advertisement in the Official Journal of the European Union in December 2010 (Contract Notice 2010/S 247-377795), the University invited tenders under Directive 2004/18/EC 31/03/04 as enacted in England and Wales under the Public Contracts Regulation 2006, for the procurement of an IP commercialisation partner to seek to maximise the commercial value of all University IPR.

A formal Competitive Dialogue procedure was completed in May 2011, with the appointment of Frontier IP Group plc (http://www.frontierip.co.uk/ ) as the University’s strategic IP & Commercialisation partner on the 25th May 2011.

The 10 year agreement will see Frontier IP support the University as and when appropriate in:

  • Assessment of IP pipeline activity
  • Spin-out activity – in particular, structuring in readiness for investment and management of the investment process and securing external funding
  • Advice and guidance on the appropriate mechanism for commercialisation
  • Market Assessment

For further details, please email: ipmatters@plymouth.ac.uk or visit http://www.frontierip.co.uk/.

Hello, and welcome to the University’s IP Matters online resource that enables you to find out more about Intellectual Property and receive specialist advice, guidance and support that aims to maximise the commercial and socio-economic impact of the University’s research and knowledge base. Often referred to as the Technology Transfer office or Knowledge Exploitation team, the role of the University’s specialist advisors on Intellectual Property is to:

  • Provide expert advice and education on Intellectual Property matters, its protection and exploitation, across the University, including to students;
  • Manage and optimise the University’s patent portfolio;
  • Provide expert advice, guidance and support on the commercialisation of University Intellectual capital, including spin-out and licencing opportunities.

Specialist advisors

Intellectual property in detail

Proof of concept fund

The Research and Innovation Proof of Concept (POC) Fund aims to fast-track research with the potential for commercial application by providing the support and investment needed at this crucial early stage.

As well as awarding funding of £5000 (on average) per project, successful applications will be supported by the University of Plymouth Intellectual Property team, who will test your idea and technology, and help prepare it (and the academic team involved) for market. By the end of the process researchers will be aware of the full commercial potential of their work, and have the tools necessary to move forward.

Find out more about the POC Fund

Proof of concept challenge

Frequently asked questions

Latest news

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Greg Price, Rhodri Jerrett and Lauren O’Connor conducting fieldwork at West Bijou

Further help

The IP Matters web pages have been created to allow open access to the University’s Intellectual Property expertise and essential resources to support your day to day work at the University. This resource is for staff and students alike and should provide you with an introduction to Intellectual Property, its importance to you and the University and how to go about protecting and seeking commercial impact for your research.

Hopefully, you will find this a useful and easy resource to use, but if you need more help, do get in touch. We always welcome feedback from our users so please contact us via: ipmatters@plymouth.ac.uk.