logologologo
  • Home
  • About
    • Contributors
    • Guide for contributors
  • Themes
    • Roadmapping
    • Open Innovation
    • Managing the R&D pipeline
    • Technology Strategy
    • Managing international R&D
    • Ideation and creativity in R&D
    • Impact of digital technologies
    • The resurgence of frugal innovation
    • Design Thinking
    • Penetrating the fog of Agile
    • China’s Belt and Road Initiative, a new model for Open Innovation
  • Tools
  • News
    • R&D Today newsletter archive
  • Resources
  • Papers
  • Case Studies
  • Events
  • R&D Conference
  • Contact
  • Home
  • About
    • Contributors
    • Guide for contributors
  • Themes
    • Roadmapping
    • Open Innovation
    • Managing the R&D pipeline
    • Technology Strategy
    • Managing international R&D
    • Ideation and creativity in R&D
    • Impact of digital technologies
    • The resurgence of frugal innovation
    • Design Thinking
    • Penetrating the fog of Agile
    • China’s Belt and Road Initiative, a new model for Open Innovation
  • Tools
  • News
    • R&D Today newsletter archive
  • Resources
  • Papers
  • Case Studies
  • Events
  • R&D Conference
  • Contact

How to protect know-how and trade secrets in collaborative R&D

The number of collaborative research and development agreements is increasing rapidly. Central to these collaborations is the need to share proprietary intellectual assets to meet the objectives of the collaboration – and equally important is the need to protect that information from unintended use.

To understand how firms successfully share proprietary information in collaborative relationships, Edward Hummell and colleagues interviewed representatives of 30 Industrial Researchprotecting trade secrets Institute (IRI) member companies.

Participants represented a cross-section of industry sectors, including life sciences, consumer products, oil and gas, chemicals, materials, federal laboratories, control systems, defence/aerospace, electronics and academia. Each representative was selected because of his/her central role in protecting intellectual assets and their organisation’s extensive experience in licensing and using collaborative research agreements to meet technology commercialisation goals.

The results of the study fell in to four general areas:

  • Collaborations require a series of agreements;
  • Issues in non-disclosure agreements;
  • Issues in joint development agreements;
  • Organisational issues that affect intellectual asset protection.

The authors conclude that protection of intellectual assets involves a two-fold challenge.

From a legal/contractual perspective, nothing substitutes for a series of well-crafted legal agreements such as Non-Disclosure Agreement.

From the human behaviour perspective firms must ensure that collaborating researchers understand the relevant terms of the contract, including what information must and must not be shared.

The real challenge, say the authors, with protecting intellectual assets is that they are ‘leaky’ and ‘sticky’. They leak out of the organisation with every visit of an outsider and they stick in the minds of anyone who hears them. Providing training to members of both firms with a specific focus on protecting sensitive information during the course of the collaboration during the course of the collaboration will pay enormous dividends say the authors.

Taken from Protecting know-how and trade secrets and trade secrets in collaborative R&D relationships by Gene Slowinski, Edward Hummell and Robert J Kumpf published in Research-Technology Management July-August 2006.

Edward HummellGene SlowinskiIndustrial Research InstituteIntellectual propertyprotecting intellectual assetsRobert J Kumpftrade secrets
Previous PostChoosing The Best Metric For Measuring The Ef...
Next PostHow Air Products and Chemicals Inc overcame s...
Search R&D Today
Search
Generic filters
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Search in excerpt
Filter by Article Type
Papers
Events
Tools
Funding Articles
Case Studies
Resources
Opportunities
Theme Editor Blogs
Filter by Categories
Business model innovation
Ideation and creativity in R&D
Latest news
Managing international R&D
Managing technology platforms
Managing the R&D pipeline
Open innovation
Outsourcing R&D
Project valuation and selection
R&D strategy
Roadmapping
Stage gate processes
Technology intelligence
View our newsletter archive
Theme Editor Blogs
  • Digital disruption in the lab: The case for R&D digitalization in chemicals – a review
  • Accelerating product development: the tools you need now – a review
  • Using good practice R&D management to create new innovations in malodour control
Associated Papers
  • Reinventing supplier innovation relationships – nine key findings
  • What skills and attributes are important for R&D success?
  • Licensing Agricultural Intellectual Property
Resources
  • Innovation Management: Learning for the experiences of companies in European countries
  • How to write and publish your research
  • Top 20 Innovation Blogs of 2016
Related Posts
  • Democratisation of access to IP information
  • Intellectual Property Management
Tools
  • portfolio tools
    Portfolio management tools and approaches
    The aim of portfolio management is to ensure that a sensible set of innovation...
  • Most useful R&D Management tools survey
    Most useful tools for R&D Management
    Ask which are the most useful tools for R&D Management and you will find...
  • Innovation Fitness Test - a tool to help scoring
    John Bessant recommends this tool developed by colleagues in Canada which helps with using...
  • Would an analogy help?
    nalogies are a useful tool for creative problem solving, to help one move away...
  • FEMA
    Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA)
    To fail fast can save enormous waste later in the product lifecycle. Failure Mode...
Have Your Say…

Have Your Say / Follow Us

R&D Today is the outreach site for the Research and Development Management Association, a charitable organisation that supports research, best practice and innovation.  www.radma.net

Click here to sign up to our newsletter, and click here to view our newsletter archive.

Copyright R&D Today 2020. All rights reserved.