The process of valorising university intellectual property (IP) is a major hurdle for many startup companies. Negotiations often take a long time, do not favour entrepreneurship, and can negatively impact future investment rounds. The new National IP Deal Term Principles 2.0, recently published by the Universities of the Netherlands (UNL), aim to change this by clarifying and speeding up the process. But do they really address the pain points entrepreneurs face?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A though road from science to business<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n For entrepreneurs, time is of the essence. Bringing a biotech innovation from lab to market is already expensive, risky, heavily regulated, and knowledge-intensive. Much of this knowledge originates in universities, where IP is created and owned. When startups try to license this IP with the university\u2019s Knowledge Transfer Office (KTO), they often encounter lengthy negotiations and complex procedures that are largely shaped by university interests and internal risk management.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n What\u2019s new in the deal terms 2.0?<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n After introducing the Deal Term principles in 2023, thirteen Dutch universities have now published an updated version containing several major improvements. Building on practical experience and feedback from the field, this framework should offer clearer guidance for companies and universities to collaborate effectively and accelerate innovation.\u00a0<\/strong>Changes include:\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n