Intellectual property and commercialisation
The University's intellectual capital - the creation of new and unique techniques, processes and products – comes from the high-quality research, teaching and knowledge transfer activities of our staff and postgraduate students, and through collaborative partnerships with companies, other universities, public sector organisations and more.
An important element of research at the University of Bradford is generating a financial return on this intellectual capital through commercialisation, which provides an opportunity for businesses to partner with us in a number of ways:
- Spin-out company creation
- Joint ventures / co-development (spin-in company and collaborative research and development)
- Licensing sale of intellectual capital
Business benefits of utilising our intellectual property
Gain an advantage over your competitors through the use of intellectual property based on innovations from our research related to your industry. We can work with you to improve products or processes resulting in financial benefits to your organisation, and can offer:
- Access to cutting edge research and platform technologies.
- A range of protected intellectual property.
- A business-focused commercialisation team, with the ability to effectively drive projects.
Protecting Intellectual Property (IP)
The owner of IP can control and be rewarded for its use, which can encourage further innovation and creativity.
There are four main ways of protecting IP:
Registered
There are two key types of design protection: Design Right is a free automatic right that will stop anyone copying a design for up to 15 years; a Registered Design will protect a design for 25 years. The UK IPO will grant design rights if you meet the required specification. A registered design can include a new shape or pattern for a product including decoration, lines, contours, colours, shape, texture and materials.
Patent
A patent will give you up to 25 years protection of an invention. The UK IPO will grant a UK patent if you meet the required specification. Worldwide protection should always be considered. An expert patent agent should always be consulted prior to applying. A patent is an invention with specific technical and functional aspects. It is new, not obvious and is of use to industry.
Trademark
Trademarks can last indefinitely provided they are used. The UK IPO will grant a trade mark if you meet the required specification. Examples are signs that distinguish a product such as a name, logo, slogan, domain name, shape colour or sound.
Copyright
Copyright automatically protects a piece of work. You do not have register it or pay for it. It is the owners right to enforce. Marking works with ©, your name and year of publication is advisable. Examples include literature, art, music, sound, broadcast, drama, or layout of any medium.
How we use our IP
Some examples of spin-out and joint venture companies created using the University's intellectual property are shown below.
