Читать книгу The IP Box Regime. A Study from an International and European Perspective - Elizabeth Gil García - Страница 17

It is commonly held that knowledge transfer is related to a set of actions aimed to obtain a profitability of the knowledge and research results. Traditionally, the activity of transfer has been related to intellectual property rights, i.e. the technology transfer.64 However, technology is not the only field of knowledge for which transfer is considered important in terms of the social, economic and cultural development. Indeed, there are other useful forms of transfer than those requiring strong IP protection.65 In particular, and according to the European Commission, it could be distinguished three forms of knowledge. First, “codified knowledge, expressed through language”.66 Second, knowledge carried and transferred “as internalised by people who have acquired codified knowledge and know-how through study”. Finally, knowledge “embedded in artefacts”, i.e. technology.67

In such a way, the activity of transfer is not only the one related to IP rights but also all actions that apply knowledge gained from research. Thus, knowledge transfer appears as a broader and more inclusive concept.68 For instance, Oslo Manual refers to the knowledge exchange as the deliberate transmission of knowledge from one entity to another.69 At the EU level, there are some Commission’s documents providing with definitions of knowledge transfer:

“Knowledge transfer means any process which has the aim of acquiring, collecting and sharing explicit and tacit knowledge, including skills and competence in both economic and non-economic activities such as research collaborations, consultancy, licensing, spin-off creation, publication and mobility of researchers and other personnel involved in those activities. Besides scientific and technological knowledge, it includes other kinds of knowledge such as knowledge on the use of standards and regulations embedding them and on conditions of real life operating environments and methods for organisational innovation, as well as management of knowledge related to identifying, acquiring, protecting, defending and exploiting intangible assets”.70

In general, knowledge flows from university (or other public research centres) to industry, being the channels of knowledge transfer the following: (i) the movement of highly skilled students and faculty staff from universities to industry; (ii) the publication of research results; (iii) industry sponsored contract research projects; (iv) IP rights activities such as patenting; among others.71 Similarly, the European Commission refers to channels such as networks, consultancy, collaborative research, contract research or licensing, among others.72

In the author’s view, knowledge transfer is based on a set of actions and operations that allow firms to innovate. In such a way, the results of research (e.g., new findings) are transformed into a new or improved product or process, whose applicability may benefit the society as a whole. Therefore, the knowledge may be transferred from PROs to firms through different channels, e.g., collaborative research, science parks or spin-off firms.73 Thus, the transfer of such knowledge will allow companies to become more innovative. In other words, the activity of innovation needs such activity of transfer for the application of knowledge. Hence, in the author’s view, it seems better to talk about the process of research, transfer and innovation, rather than the R&D&I process. In fact, the interaction between PROs and firms facilitates that the results of R&D go beyond the walls of the laboratory.