Important to keep in mind

Read more about important aspects of an innovation project.

Intellectual Property Rights

Protected ideas, inventions and work results are often referred to as intellectual property rights (IPR). There are a number of tools to protect intellectual property (IP), of which patent is the strongest form of protection. For some results, rights are better protected through copyright, secrecy, trademark or design protection. Ard Innovation can assist in putting together an IPR strategy for your project. On the WEBSITE of the NORWEGIAN Industrial Property Office there is more information about the various forms of IPR

Patentstyret

Patenting before publication

Cooperation with business/industry

Employee Invention Act

Impartiality/shared position/double role

Startup

Licensing

Patenting or other kinds of IPR are often essential for realization and disseminating to society. Investors look for a competitive advantage when investing in new inventions and Patents are a strong competitive advantage because it prevents other players from making use of the invention. Patenting is not an obstacle to publishing research results, but the patent application must be submitted before the results behind the invention are published. In a patent context, all publication (including articles, posters, master’s theses, news articles and lectures) will be considered as publications and may be destructive for a patent. Ard Innovation will be happy to sit down with you and customize an IPR strategy to your project. That way, you can ensure that patenting and publishing takes place cautiously and in the right order.

Collaboration with external players is crucial to the success of bringing a good idea to market. In order to ensure a good climate of cooperation, it pays to be prepared. We recommend having a proper collaboration contract from the beginning that ensures that NIBIO and NMBU retain ownership of what the employees have developed and at the same time become involved in the further development of the idea or invention. A thorough description of what each party brings into the cooperation (background description) is recommended in all cooperation with external partners. We are happy to give advice in this process for registered projects.

The Norwegian Employer Invention Act states that the employer assumes ownership of IP created by an employee through his/her position. According to the employers guidelines in force at all times, the employee shall receive reasonable compensation for his/her IP.

Ard Innovation is NIBIO and NMBU’s organization for handling the Employee Invention Act. We provide researchers with help to commercialize their work results. As an employee at NIBIO or NMBU, you are therefore obliged to submit your ideas with commercial potential to Ard Innovation. Please contact us for more information or a meeting.

If you are taking on assignments, have positions of trust or ownership in external companies, outside or in addition to your position at NMBU or NIBIO, an agreement must be made with the employer in advance. Please contact your employer for the applicable guidelines.

For some technologies, it may make more sense to start a company than to enter into a licensing agreement. If you are going to start a company, it is important to have a business strategy. Ard Innovation will be happy to assist in developing your business strategy.

A license agreement gives a person or business (licensee) the right to exploit a technology (an invention, product, or intellectual property right) belonging to another party (licensor). A license agreement may be exclusive or not exclusive. An exclusive license agreement means that a single licensee is granted exclusive rights to the technology. The right is usually granted for a geographical market, an industry, an application, or a combination of these. The payment may consist of a single payment when the contract is signed (sign-on fee), partial payments related to agreed milestones and/or percentages of the annual income the licensee generates through use of the technology (royalties). Ard Innovation negotiates, prepares, and follows up all licensing agreements from NIBIO and NMBU.

Patenting before publication

Patenting or other kinds of IPR are often essential for realization and disseminating to society. Investors look for a competitive advantage when investing in new inventions and Patents are a strong competitive advantage because it prevents other players from making use of the invention. Patenting is not an obstacle to publishing research results, but the patent application must be submitted before the results behind the invention are published. In a patent context, all publication (including articles, posters, master’s theses, news articles and lectures) will be considered as publications and may be destructive for a patent. Ard Innovation will be happy to sit down with you and customize an IPR strategy to your project. That way, you can ensure that patenting and publishing takes place cautiously and in the right order.

Cooperation with business/industry

Collaboration with external players is crucial to the success of bringing a good idea to market. In order to ensure a good climate of cooperation, it pays to be prepared. We recommend having a proper collaboration contract from the beginning that ensures that NIBIO and NMBU retain ownership of what the employees have developed and at the same time become involved in the further development of the idea or invention. A thorough description of what each party brings into the cooperation (background description) is recommended in all cooperation with external partners. We are happy to give advice in this process for registered projects.

Employee Invention Act

The Norwegian Employer Invention Act states that the employer assumes ownership of IP created by an employee through his/her position. According to the employers guidelines in force at all times, the employee shall receive reasonable compensation for his/her IP.

Ard Innovation is NIBIO and NMBU’s organization for handling the Employee Invention Act. We provide researchers with help to commercialize their work results. As an employee at NIBIO or NMBU, you are therefore obliged to submit your ideas with commercial potential to Ard Innovation. Please contact us for more information or a meeting.

Impartiality/shared position/double role

If you are taking on assignments, have positions of trust or ownership in external companies, outside or in addition to your position at NMBU or NIBIO, an agreement must be made with the employer in advance. Please contact your employer for the applicable guidelines.

Startup

For some technologies, it may make more sense to start a company than to enter into a licensing agreement. If you are going to start a company, it is important to have a business strategy. Ard Innovation will be happy to assist in developing your business strategy.

Licensing

A license agreement gives a person or business (licensee) the right to exploit a technology (an invention, product, or intellectual property right) belonging to another party (licensor). A license agreement may be exclusive or not exclusive. An exclusive license agreement means that a single licensee is granted exclusive rights to the technology. The right is usually granted for a geographical market, an industry, an application, or a combination of these. The payment may consist of a single payment when the contract is signed (sign-on fee), partial payments related to agreed milestones and/or percentages of the annual income the licensee generates through use of the technology (royalties). Ard Innovation negotiates, prepares, and follows up all licensing agreements from NIBIO and NMBU.