How do scientific results bring benefits to society and research and create added value?
Your easy entry to innovation
Researchers invest considerable time and dedication into their studies, underscoring the importance of safeguarding their research findings and innovations.
Leveraging intellectual property (IP) emerges as a valuable asset, enabling scientists to highlight their scientific achievements, secure extra funding for research endeavors, and propel their technologies forward by implementing them in real-world applications.
Should your technology be patented?
A patent might be the right choice if:
Your idea is new and innovative
Your idea solves problems in industry, society, or research
Your idea has not yet
been published
Could your research make a real-world impact?
You’ve made a promising discovery, developed a new technology, or gained valuable expertise – but could it create real value beyond research? Let’s find out.
What problem does your idea solve?
Unlock the Potential of Your Technology
If your technology can, for example:
Help businesses produce more efficiently or effectively
Solve complex scientific challenges in industry
Contribute to solving societal or environmental issues, such as through sustainable materials, improved energy supply, or innovative medical approaches
Enhance laboratory processes, speed up analyses, or ease daily research tasks
Let’s explore its potential together.
If you’re unsure where your idea fits, don’t worry – we’re here to help you identify its potential and find the right path for successful technology transfer.
Is your idea truly unique, or are there already comparable solutions on the market? If so, does your idea improve existing technologies or offer additional benefits?
A patent search and market analysis can help you highlight your unique selling proposition and identify opportunities for technology transfer.
Get Support with Patent Searches and Market Analysis
Do you already have feedback from potential users?
The Best Research Only Helps When It Reaches Those Who Need It
Have you already spoken with businesses, institutions, or potential users? Their feedback is crucial to assess the market viability of your idea.
If you haven’t made any connections yet, our Innovation Management team is happy to assist you with stakeholder engagement and help you build valuable relationships with relevant partners.
Do you already have a prototype or initial test results to present to potential partners? This helps validate your research and generate interest from investors or businesses.
Even if you don’t have a prototype yet, we can work together to create technology offerings and publish them to increase visibility and attract potential partners.
Are you looking to license your technology, collaborate with companies, or start your own business? Each option offers unique opportunities – we're here to help you choose the best path for your idea.
Whether it’s funding, legal matters, or strategic planning – we’re here to help you take the next step. Our experts will assist you in finding funding opportunities and forming valuable partnerships.
Creating, protecting, and applying valuable research results
As a scientist, you know the effort and creativity that go into a groundbreaking idea. But what happens when your research goes beyond the lab and can be applied in the real world?
This is where intellectual property (IP) comes in – the legal protection for your innovations that ensures your work is recognized and can be utilized by others.
What is intellectual property?
Intellectual property (IP) includes legal concepts that regulate the protection and dissemination of intellectual property, such as patents. The holders of these IP rights can use and exploit their intellectual property, while third parties require their licence to do so.
For scientists, IP is important as their discoveries and inventions need to be protected in order to foster scientific progress. Engaging with relevant protection rights and actively using them allows scientists to control and further develop their IP.
Patents are a crucial instrument for the transfer of research results. A patent is an intellectual property right granted to inventors for a technical invention.
It grants them the exclusive right to commercially use, sell, or license an invention. It allows them to prohibit others from using their invention.
By exploiting patents, financial gains can be achieved, and research can be further advanced.
Know-how
Know-how is a form of intellectual property that pertains to knowledge and skills acquired through experience, research, and development.
It often represents implicit knowledge that cannot be easily documented or patented.
Depending on the type and scope of protection, software can represent different forms of intellectual property.
In most countries, software is protected under copyright law as it is considered a creative work that falls under the category of literary works.
However, software can also be protected by patents if it is deemed an invention and contains technical aspects that are not obvious.
Why should research results be protected?
Transferring research results into practical applications creates additional value that contributes to societal progress. This requires scientists to secure their research results, for example inventions, know-how or software.
Protecting and exploiting IP also generates additional sources of funding: Companies and investors support the further development of innovative technologies or the implementation of socially valuable applications. This leads to an extensive portfolio that enhances visibility in the community.
The protection of intellectual property creates new incentives to drive further development and research in the respective research areas. At the same time, it protects research results from unauthorised or unethical use.
When to protect research results?
Protecting their intellectual property provides scientists with numerous benefits. They ought to protect their inventions, software and know-how in order to
gain a competitive edge
increase the value of the invention and make it more attractive to investors
create an additional source of income for research through licensing or sale
gain more visibility and enhance career opportunities
contribute to the portfolio of scientists and their institutes
retain control over the invention and its use or
foster innovation and strengthen the economic landscape
From the lab to an intellectual property
1. Reporting an invention
The first step in securing IP is to report the invention to the employer. Scientists are required to promptly report their inventions to facilitate a swift processing and examination of protection.
At Forschungszentrum Jülich, invention disclosure is done through the Patent Department.
2. Obtaining IP rights
Once the invention has been reported, the Patent Department examines whether IP rights should be sought for the invention.
Depending on the type of invention and existing IP rights, various IP rights such as patents, utility models, trade marks or designs, may be considered.
3. Consider Commerzialisation
It is important to look at different commerzialisation options.
The Innovation Management of FZ Jülich supports scientists in all matters related to exploitation and provides guidance in these processes.
Ways to bring your research into the world
Establish a industry collaboration
Industry collaborations are a way for scientists to turn their research results into successful products or services while maximising the societal benefits of their work.
Such collaborations require the protection of intellectual property through patents, copyrights or trademark rights. A successful collaboration requires close cooperation between the scientists and the industrial partners to evaluate the potential of the research results and to develop a joint commercialisation plan.
Legal, financial and technical aspects must be considered to develop a successful product or service.
Licensing agreements provide scientists with the opportunity to exploit their research results without giving up ownership of the intellectual property.
They can retain the right to further develop and utilize their results in other areas. Negotiating a license agreement requires a thorough review of the intellectual property rights and the terms of contract.
A successfull licence agreement requires a clear definition of the rights and obligations of both parties, as well as a detailed description of the use of the intellectual property.
Founding their own company allows scientists to continue their research more independently.
Spin-offs offer the advantage of implementing their research findings in their own way.
It takes entrepreneurial thinking and skills to set up a successfull company. Forschungszentrum Jülich provides specific support opportunities for scientists considering a spin-off, assisting them in developing the founding and obtaining financing during the pre-foudning phase.
When collaborating with government or nonprofit organisations, intellectual property plays a significant role as it involves the utilisations of research findings for non-profit purposes or the public interest.
The rights to use the intellectual property typically remain with the research institution, which grants a license to the organisation for its use.
The terms of the license agreement can be negotiated to ensure that the research findings are used in the best possible way and benefit society.
Submit a technology offer to find partners and licensees
Scientists may publish exposés: these technology offers help technology scouts and industry partners understand new technologies and their potential.
Collaborations or license agreements provide their research with new resources and avenues to advance or further develop solutions to technological problems.
Your idea is new 
Your idea solves problems in industry, society, or research
Your idea has not yet