About

Intellectual Property

Innovative basic knowledge of VIB

VIB translates scientific discoveries into useful applications for society. Indeed, scientific research at VIB leads to a continuous stream of innovative technologies and discoveries that can form the basis of new societal and industrial applications. Examples are diagnostic tools, medicines, and agricultural products. To achieve this, VIB protects its inventions with intellectual property rights such as patents. These are actively partnered with companies, both nationally and internationally, which aim to convert the findings into useful products and applications.

Ground-breaking research and technology transfer

Intellectual Property (IP) rights are key to attract investors and collaborators to VIB’s academic environment. Thanks to IP Rights, research and collaboration agreements with companies can be set up. Licensing out of IP rights can also generate industrial income. And finally, IP Rights are crucial to attracting the necessary funding for the start of a new company.

In-house IP at VIB

With a view to commercializing research results and considering major downstream investments, it is important to safeguard VIB assets with IP Rights. VIB takes a proactive approach geared towards protecting new inventions by patents.

These inventions serve as the basis for new startups and agreements with life science companies and thus create economic and social added value.

VIB’s IP Management team pro-actively harvests inventions within the institute, assesses patentability, and files, defends, and prosecutes patents. In addition, the team carries out patent landscaping and freedom to operate (FTO) analysis. The dedicated team of five includes expert paralegal support.

The IP team works closely together with the Business Development and New Ventures teams on implementing an integrated strategy.

VIB scientists are encouraged to contact the IP team before an invention is disclosed in a publication, a poster or during an oral presentation.

Patents are instrumental in the establishment and growth of life-sciences industries, here and globally

The process of tech transfer starts with safeguarding scientific inventions by means of securing IP Rights. IP Rights constitute a meaningful share of today’s academic environment. The time-consuming and highly expensive development of novel drugs, diagnostics or agricultural innovations requires IP protection to prevent copying of products. Scientific curiosity and excellence can lead to improvements in health, agriculture and economic activity, provided the right technology-transfer mechanisms are in place.