Tech transfer current reforms in France:

SATT- tech transfer accelerating companies

Ph.D, Vincent LAMANDE,

Past President réseau C.U.R.I.E.

Deputy director Bretagne Valorisation

Key Success Factors to better

Technology Transfer

SATT CONTEXT

Tech transfer: a challenging mission

Requirements • Innovation is vital for job creation & economic recovery

• Global competition (Eu vs Asia)

Working conditions

• Researchers are discovery minded (publications vs patent)

• Public funding for universities is decreasing

• Universities are increasing

commercial activities

• The funding gap for new

ventures is widening

• Global competition for IP is

increasing

3

Tech Transfer French Specificities

• 80+ autonomous universities looking for critical size

• CNRS, a large national research organisation associated

to univs. having delegated its TT to it’s private TTO.

• Strong national thematic research organisations having

a long tradition in TT

• Since 6 years: Emerging “local” entities :

• at regional level (i.e. Bretagne, Aquitaine, Alsace)

• At municipal level when big enough (Paris, Lyon, Toulouse)

• Dual system, & differences among structures

Background: 14 existing mutualised organisations in

France since 2006

• Researchers concerned : 47 000

• Full time professionals for TT : 100 persons

• 50% TT Professionals issued from former univ.

• 50% new staff

• Convincing results, a validated model BUT:

• Strong need to increase financial and human resources

• Lab researchers from national organisms not

concerned

• Limited geographical coverage

Inspiration for SATT call for tender, SATT is a v.2.0

6

Bring value to academic inventions

& boost tech transfer for the public benefit

• Settling up new “big size” Tech transfer organizations

• With high professionalism and trained staff

• Strengthening regional TTO close to labs & industry needs

• Supporting technology “proof-of-concept” (prototyping,

transnational research) for innovative applications

Which change do we expect now?

National commitments to innovation (1)

1 billion € invested through a national loan

« investissements d'avenir » “investments for the future”

• 900 Millions €,

• 12 SATT (Acceleration TT companies)

+

• 50 Millions €, 5 national thematic TT clusters

• 50 Millions €, France Brevet (IP fund)

• National calls for proposal early 2011

• Selection of projects nationwide by an international committee

• Additional support from Regions and private sector

• 2012, Creation of 5 first SATT

Core objective: Accelerating Tech transfer

Create value through POC funding

Strong IP management & efficient technology commercialization

Main challenges

Preserve intellectual property rights & protect assets

Create value through POC funding

Create the best environment to facilitate partnerships with

companies and other partners

Transfer technologies through licensing and spin off creation

National commitments to innovation (2)

SATT: a new tech transfer system

Merger at regional level between univs and engineering

schools TTOs, plus numerous TT national organisms

– To reach a critical mass of TT professionals

– To manage significant IP portfolio in a single entity

– To increase Marketing capabilities & bargaining power

– To Add value to inventions (potential innovations)

Frame agreement with other national research organizations

– To access high profile services in specific fields (Health,

Agro, etc.)

– To expand international network & global markets

68 78

6

3

SATT – Acceleration Tech transfer companies up to 1st Jan. 2012

1200

In Millions €

70

70

Lutech 78

PACA Corse 78

Ouest Valorisation 70

Toulouse Tech Transfer 70

IDF - Innov 68

Nord de France 63

Aquitaine 48

Languedoc Roussillon 45

Conectus Alsace 36

Ile de France

© Réseau C.U.R.I.E.

4

Source : Ministère de l'Enseignement

Supérieur et de la Recherche

36

48

45 78

15 projects evaluated

9 labellised

556 millions € distributed

591M€

405M€

367M€

484M€

SATT ACTIVITES

Transfer for exploitation

Create and validate value

Support research and secure IP

Collaborative

research Intellectual property

(patent, soft, know-

how)

Proof of concept

Business Unit

Technological platforms

Licensing

Spin off

SATT Valorisation Process

Core business

Academic research

Support activities

SATT core missions (1)

Provide a large range of services related to TT and

commercialisation activities:

Promote innovation culture at campus level

Educational sessions to researchers and master degree

Support collaborative research

Detect innovations at labs (invention disclosures)

Manage IP portfolio

Organize company scouting and answer industry

requests

Organize vertical integration of TT activities:

Project engineering from early stage technology to

commercialization and transfer

Defining IP & TT strategies

Support patenting process and IP costs, up to

prosecution

Financial support to innovative projects (patents,

maturation, pre-incubation, incubation, etc.)

Manage high quality license agreements

SATT core missions (2)

Services Maturation &Transfer

Industr

ial part

ners

hip

s,

colla

bora

tive r

esearc

h

Multi-part

er

R&

D (

FU

I, F

P)

Serv

ices t

o u

niv

s.

(dete

ction,

aw

are

ness,

eudcation)

Oth

ers

(expert

ise,

pft

managem

ent)

IP m

anagem

ent

Matu

ration,

pro

toty

pin

g

Tra

nsfe

rt(p

rom

otion,

tech

transfe

r)

Spin

off c

reation

PACA Corse

Ouest

Valorisation

• Services at market price or success fees (engineering of collaborative research / FP7)

• IP belongs to shareholders

• Shareholders committed to exclusively entrust SATT with increasing the value of results of their research departments

• Exclusive license of shareholder patents given to SATT then sublicensed to industrial partners

• License revenues shared between SATT, patent owners and inventors

• SATT will be shareholder of start-up

16

Business Model

Model based on medium term results 10 years.

But evaluation every three years.

• Governance: Share a common culture of innovation between different

academic institutions

• Become the TT “internal” instrument of academic research, not a

private subcontractor

• Convince scientific community of the paradigm change :

• Utility of valorisation (Research + application = mission)

• Culture of innovation

• Setup the adequate team:

• Avoid the « all business » myth (it is not only a matter of marketing)

• Keep capitalizing on past experience

• Accept the market price (remuneration)

• Become fully integrated to ecosystem

Main challenges within three years

Thanks for your attention!