Jane G. Payumo

Managing Intellectual Property and Technology Commercialization: Comparison and Analysis of Practices, Success Stories and Lessons Learned from Public Research Universities in Developing Asia

Abstract Increasing expectations have been placed on enhancing government-sponsored research and optimizing the potentials of intellectual property (IP) – one of several channels for transferring knowledge and technology – by academic and research institutions for economic development opportunities. This paper presents three case studies from public research universities in developing countries in Asia – China; India; and the Philippines – which offer innovative approaches to managing IP and technology commercialization initiatives for broad societal benefit. Despite variations in research capacity, economic environments, technology and industry relations, these examples suggest that with the right combination of policies, management support, people and partnerships, it is possible to enhance the public mission by careful management of IP and the technology commercialization process. These cases are purposely drawn to acknowledge the effort of the three universities as early examples that IP management and technology commercialization programs can work and can be done by government-funded institutions in developing countries; to share and learn from their success and experiences; and to catalyze similar efforts throughout developing Asia.

A bibliometric assessment of ASEAN collaboration in plant biotechnology

This study draws on publication and citation data related to plant biotechnology from a 10-year (2004–2013) period to assess the research performance, impact, and collaboration of member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Plant biotechnology is one of the main areas of cooperation between ASEAN member states and among the research areas promoted to achieve regional food security and sustainable development. In general, findings indicate increased scientific output, influence, and overall collaboration of ASEAN countries in plant biotechnology over time. Research performance and collaboration (domestic, regional, and international) of the region in plant biotechnology are linked to the status of the economic development of each member country. Thailand produced the most publications of the ASEAN member states while Singapore had the highest influence as indicated by its citation activity in plant biotechnology among the ASEAN countries. Domestic and international collaborations on plant biotechnology are numerous. Regional collaboration or partnership among ASEAN countries was, however, was found to be very limited, which is a concern for the region’s goal of economic integration and science and technology cooperation. More studies using bibliometric data analysis need to be conducted to understand plant biotechnology cooperation and knowledge flows between ASEAN countries.

LICENSING AGRICULTURAL INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY: HOW SHOULD PUBLIC R&D INSTITUTIONS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES RESPOND?

In the 21st century, licensing is the most common vehicle by which Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), especially for agricultural biotechnology, are transferred from inventors to users. In this paper, we argue that due to the strong association between IPR and agricultural biotechnology, technology transfer (e.g., licensing), needs to be conducted differently for agricultural biotechnology products. We examine two important licensing mechanisms: the patent license and material transfer agreements, and their unique features, and issues associated with their use. And yet, its important to note that these legal instruments for agricultural biotechnology are contextual, case-specific, and may even be country-specific. We hope that this paper can serve as a starting point for discussion, and/or a guide for public research institutions in developing countries to more effectively use these technology transfer tools. We also present a few case examples that highlight the experiences of other national research institutions in handling these legal mechanisms. Learning from these experiences may help other institutions maximize benefits while minimizing cost and risk under the new context of technology transfer for agricultural innovations.

Status of national intellectual property rights (IPRs) systems and its impact to agricultural development: a time series cross section data analysis of TRIPS member-countries

This study aimed to quantify the importance of strengthened IPRs policies on agricultural development of members of trade-related aspects of intellectual property rights (TRIPS). Setting the global IPR standards today, TRIPS is an important international agreement to study while the importance of agriculture to the economies of TRIPS member-countries makes it a bellwether for gauging the impact of TRIPS on agricultural development. Specifically, this study estimated the impact of strengthened IPR systems using a time series cross section data of 103 TRIPS member countries using secondary data from 1980 to 2005. Empirical results support a link between strengthened IPR systems and agricultural gross domestic product (GDP) not only for developed countries but also for developing member-economies of TRIPS.

Protecting and preserving traditional knowledge and plant genetic resources: is ASEAN there yet?

The treatment of traditional knowledge (TK) and plant genetic resources is timely international topics for debate with the focus on preventing the misappropriation and misuse of these resources, and on promoting the equitable sharing of benefits that arise from utilization and commercialization. In this paper, the initiatives of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and its member countries toward safeguarding TK associated with plant genetic resources are reviewed. While Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines have national frameworks in place for the protection of TK and plant genetic resources, other ASEAN member countries do not. In addition, true regional cooperation among ASEAN countries in the area of TK and plant genetic resources has yet to be realized. After a review of these cases, this paper will argue that a single unique model or solution for all ASEAN member countries cannot meet the wide range of concerns and objectives that exist to protect TK and plant genetic resources. Instead, what is suggested is to create a mix of solutions to better handle TK and plant genetic resources issues.

The impact of socio-demographic factors as potential predictors of the attitudes of public sector personnel on intellectual property rights and their implications

This paper presents the results of a web-based survey done to determine the attitudes of public sector personnel in developing countries in Asia on the major implications of intellectual property rights (IPRs) to public sector institutions’ access of technologies, research focus, and dissemination of knowledge and technology. Specifically, the survey involved research administrators and scientists (n = 283) from public agricultural biotechnology research institutions in India, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. Estimates of ordinal logistic regression clearly show that in general, attitudes of respondents toward the implications of IPR are affected by socio-demographic characteristics with education, position held, and country of citizenship as significant influential factors. This econometric analysis may serve as reference for institutions developing capability training programmes, including identification of target training groups, to more actively promote the understanding of IPR and their implications to public research institutions in developing countries.

How agricultural biotechnology scientists perceive intellectual property rights (IPRs) and their implications: insights from developing Asia

This paper presents the results of a web-survey of scientists and researchers from India, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam, conducted to measure their awareness, attitudes and perspectives towards the new intellectual property rights (IPRs) paradigm in agriculture. Results indicate that respondents are aware on IPR and its features and have openness in answering IPR-related questions despite the current ambiguity and debate surrounding IPRs in public sector research. They also understand global policy trends and some of the risk factors involved. However, they need to have more exposure to, and training on, the use of the different IPR instruments. Interestingly, respondents disclosed that even with expanding IPR in agriculture, they did not have problems accessing new biological materials and genetic resources from local and international research centres. Results can serve as important reference for institutions implementing IP capability programmes for better appreciation of the importance of IPR for public research institutions.