Copyright © Photo by Brands&People on Unsplash
Public investments in research and technology infrastructure are crucial in fostering industry-academia collaboration, accelerating innovation, and enhancing economic competitiveness. However, these investments must comply with state aid regulations designed to prevent market distortions while allowing financial support under specific conditions. The complexity of these regulations often creates challenges in managing intellectual property (IP) rights and allocating funding efficiently.
The ExSACT project addressed these challenges by simplifying and optimizing public investments in research and technology infrastructure while ensuring compliance with state aid rules. The project has focused on refining IP management processes, improving the efficiency of industry-academia collaboration, and developing practical tools for research organizations to navigate state aid regulations. It assessed internationally recognized IP valuation systems and explored the best practices for structuring research collaborations within the European Union’s legal framework.
A key finding of the project was that while most research initiatives develop their own IP, only a fraction successfully license their innovations to external organizations. The study also highlighted the gap between laboratory research and commercialization, largely due to the time-consuming patent application process and the high costs associated with regulatory compliance. To address these issues, the project introduced standardized contracts, IP valuation methodologies, and policy recommendations to better define economic and non-economic activities in research funding.
The broader context of the ExSACT project is the European Scientific Research Infrastructures (ERIs) and their ERI Innovation Ecosystem (ERI-IE), which facilitate cooperation between research institutions and industry. While these collaborations benefit from public funding, they are constrained by state aid regulations, requiring careful management of financial incentives. Limited awareness and understanding of these regulations often lead to inefficiencies in research funding and technology transfer processes.
“State aid rules provide a good framework for cooperation between academia and industry”, stated Tomaž Lutman, Technology Manager at the Jozef Stefan Institute and coordinator of ExSACT.
By providing research institutions with structured tools and guidelines, this project, coordinated by the Jozef Stefan Institute in partnership with the Faculty of Information Studies in Novo Mesto, contributes to a more effective framework for public investments in research and technology. Its findings and recommendations support long-term cooperation between academia and industry, enhancing the transition of research outcomes to commercial applications.
Here you can watch a video of the ExSACT project:
For additional information about the project, visit here.
