Course details

  • Study time: 8h

  • Target audience: early PhD researchers, but the lessons are applicable to all researchers or professionals interested to learn more about research valorisation.

Course curriculum

  • 1

    Introduction

    • Welcome video

    • Meet the teachers

    • Learning objectives

    • Become familiar with the learning platform
  • 2

    How to create impact with your research results?

    • Setting the scene

    • What’s in a name?

    • (WIP) The difference between valorisation and impact

    • The why of valorisation

    • How to think about the valorisation process to achieve impact in practice?

    • Busting valorisation myths: always or never?

    • Why is it better to involve external stakeholders early rather than late?

    • Case 1: GreenHero app for a more sustainable lifestyle or not?

    • Case 2: from biobased polymer to green packaging

    • Valorisation Strategy

    • Step 1: define tangible output

    • Step 2: develop an application hypothesis

    • Step 3: refine the needs and initial assumptions internally

    • Step 4: speak with potential users to validate the assumptions

    • Step 5: further iteration

    • Exercise: Business canvas model - black soldier flies

    • Exercise: Business canvas model - soil sampling
  • 3

    Intellectual property rights

    • Importance of IP - What could go wrong?

    • What is IP and who owns it?

    • What is IP and who owns it? - nuanced answers

    • Introduction to IPR theory

    • IPR Step 1: Identify the research results for which you want to obtain IP protection

    • IPR Step 2: Figure out who owns the IP

    • Exercise on protection of IP rights

    • IPR Step 3: Turn your results into IP rights by choosing appropriate protection mechanisms

    • IPR Step 4: Determine if you have Freedom-To-Operate (FTO)

    • IPR Step 5: Market your IP (IP exploitation by yourself or by others via transfer vs license)

    • Exercise: Market your IP on a joint venture

    • Chapter 2 conclusions

  • 4

    What's next, to spin-off or not?

    • Introduction to spin-offs

    • What is a spin-off?

    • How to go for a spin-off company?

    • Spin-off step 1: Is your technology ready?

    • Spin-off step 2: is your team ready?

    • Spin-off step 3: is your market ready?

    • Spin-off step 4: funding

    • Spin-off step 5: ready to spin-out - The Venture Track

    • Exercise: spin-off or no spin-off?

    • Chapter 3 conclusions
  • 5

    Conclusions

    • Concluding message

    • Help us to improve this course
  • 6

    Evaluate this course (for testers)

    • How this evaluation is structured

    • Evaluate this course

Instructors

Business developer

Nathan De Geyter

Nathan De Geyter is an IOF business developer of the End-of-Waste (EoW) business development centre at AUGent since 2020. In this role he supports 35+ research groups by setting up and managing science-to-business collaborations to bring novel biobased innovations to market thereby promoting the transition towards a more circular and sustainable biobased economy. Sometimes he also teaches Technology Transfer skills to researchers. Before, Nathan was already involved in starting and managing collaborations with industry as innovation manager at the faculty of Bioscience Engineering at UGent for 4 years. Nathan obtained a PhD in agricultural biotechnology at the Flemish Institute of Biotechnology (VIB), working on fundamental research to investigate plant-microbe interactions and the production of plant phytochemicals with the potential to benefit human health.