agency for Innovation by Science and Technology

agentschap voor Innovatiedoor Wetenschap en Technologie

IWT Baekeland and Innovation Mandates

iMinds – Researchers in Residence

Els Tourwé

13 april 2023

Outline

1. IWT2. Baekeland mandates3. Innovation mandates4. Practical details

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IWT: some facts and figures

• IWT is the agency for Innovation by Science and Technology of the Flemish government.

• Annual budget: ± 300 million euro • Number of handled requests: 1970 in 2013• Number of advisors: ± 66• 1397 external experts involved in evaluation proces

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Supporting innovation in Flanders

Funding Advice and services

Co-ordination and

networking

Policy development

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All types of innovators

Companies Research centres

Organizations

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Overview of IWT funding schemes

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R&D-enterprise-projects, SPRINT- and SME-programme

Strategic Basic Research

Networks and inter-mediaries

R&D organisations

companies

Tech Transfer Agriculture

Individuals Innovation mandateBaekeland mandateDoctoral

grant

Collective innovation trajectories

TBM (biomed)

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Baekeland programme

• The Baekeland-programme offers researchers the opportunity to perform doctoral research and to obtain a PhD-degree in close cooperation with the business/industrial sector.

• The aim is to promote the mobility of researchers between the academic and the industrial world, as well as the international mobility

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General terms and conditions

• The research has a clear economic objective and will result – if successfull- in an added value for the company

• The research is oriented to acquiring a doctorate and meets the accepted criteria for doctoral research:

The project should fit within strategic basic research for a doctorate (PhD) = high-quality research that is innovative and provides the PhD student with ample intellectual challenges.

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Consortium: partners

• Company with activities in Flanders Strategic orientation of the project Co-financing Assigns an industrial mentor Commitment for duration of the project

• Flemish university Guidance/support towards a PhD-thesis and the assignment

of a PhD degree according to the accepted criteria for doctoral research

Other knowledge centres (also from abroad) in cooperation with a scientific promotor at a Flemish university

• Doctoral candidate employee of the university/knowledge centre or employee of

the company mobility: activities in the company and in the

university/knowledge centre open to all candidates who are admitted to doctoral research

at a Flemish university

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Budget and IWT-funding

• Payroll of the mandate holder (based on the real salary cost) + the other costs associated with this one employee for 4 years

• Other costs = (fixed costs + operating costs + equipment costs) 160 keuro/project

- Overhead (max. 20.000 euro/year)- Operating costs (materials, licencies, travelling costs, …)- Depreciation of equipment (% occupation, depreciation period)

No fixed sum but a maximum (details)• Funding: 50% for large companies, 60 or 70% for SME’s• 10% extra support for well-balanced collaboration

between several independent companies of which none of the companies contributes more than 70% of the cost, and at least one partner is an SME.

Innovation mandates

- Provide support to postdoctoral researchers who wish to undertake active efforts to achieve the effective transfer, the exploitation and the utilisation of their research findings, either through a close collaboration with an existing company, either directed towards the establishment of a new spin-off company.

- Main objectives of the research project are: - strategic basic research resulting in the applicability of the research

results in the industry - the economical valorisation of research

niche between university research and research in industry; strong input from the research institutes, but with a valorisation in business;

strategic basic research projects, characterized by a risk level which is still too high to be already carried out as an industrial R&D project.

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Different types of mandates

1) Spin-off mandates:- leading to the establishment of a spin-off company- main target of this type of innovation mandates is research (and activities) directed towards the creation of a spin-off company with an industrial activity in Flanders

- maximum 2 years (mandate stops at the date of foundation of the company)- mandate holder is employee of the knowledge centre

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Different types of mandates

2) Cooperation with existing companies: - with co-financing - phased model

These innovation mandates may consist of 2 phases:- First phase:

- Preliminary phase in which more research is performed to assess the applicability in a business context

- all partners involved will define milestone(s), and the thereto related scientific objectives, which should be achieved before a transfer of results to the industry will be possible

- maximum 12 months - Mandate holder is employee of the knowledge centre

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Different types of mandates

2) Cooperation with existing companies:- Second phase:

- Mandates starting with phase 1 shall proceed to phase 2 after 6 months or after 12 months at the latest

- It is possible to start directly with phase 2, in particular when there is a clear one-to-one relationship with a company, and/or when the company considerably contributes its own knowledge/models/tools

- The company is the applicant and is responsible for the strategic orientation of the research and for co-financing

- Project duration of 24 months (or maximum 36 months)- Mandate holder is employee of the research institute or of the

company

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Budget and IWT-funding

• Payroll of the mandate holder (based on the real salary cost) + the other costs associated with this one employee

• Other costs = (fixed costs + operating costs + equipment costs) 40 keuro/FTE per year

- Overhead (max. 20.000 euro/year)- Operating costs (materials, licencies, travelling costs, …)- Depreciation of equipment (% occupation, depreciation period)

No fixed sum but a maximum (details)• Support:

• 100% for IM Phase 1 and IM spin-off• 50%, 60 or 70% IM Phase 2

• 10% extra support for well-balanced collaboration between several independent companies of which none of the companies contributes more than 70% of the cost, and at least one partner is an SME.

Intellectual property rights

Spin-off mandates and mandates in phase 1:100% funding to the knowledge centre (SBO-Decree)

The companies only take on a coaching role and they do not acquire any rights to the research results;

In Phase 1, it is possible to agree on a “Right Of First Negotiation”

Upon transferring IPR to a company, the knowledge centre receives a fee in accordance with the market price for the transfer of intellectual property rights;

The company acting as an industrial mentor has no guarantee on the possible licensing/exploitation of the project results.

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Intellectual property rights

If the company also contributes its own knowledge/ models/tools, an immediate start with Phase 2 is highly recommended

Mutual consent concerning the distribution of IPR:

1. Preference given to shared rights 2. Property rights to the results would belong to the knowledge

centre3. Company would acquire property rights on results with a

specific target

Obviously, partners need to agree on acces to background knowledge

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Submitting an application

- Application forms (http://www.iwt.be/subsidies/innovatiemandaten or http://www.iwt.be/subsidies/baekeland-mandaten)• Oral defence before a panel of experts by the

candidate• Evaluation criteria:

Scientific quality vs utilisation quality candidate vs project

• Decision by board of directors of IWT

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1st call 2015

Deadline for submission: March 2nd, 2015 at 12.00 noon

• exploratory meetings: January 19th, February 5th 2015 (register via www.iwt.be)

• submit an electronic version to baekeland@iwt.be or im@iwt.be

• The application will be checked for eligibility upon receipt (14 working days)

• Oral defence: May, 2015

• Decision: June 18th, 2014

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Contact persons

Programme: Els Tourwé (et@iwt.be)

Secretary: Ann Voets (av@iwt.be)

Director: Maarten Sileghem

Questions: mail to baekeland@iwt.be or im@iwt.be

Koning Albert II-laan 35, bus 16

B-1030 Brussel

Tel.: +32 (0)2 432 42 00

Fax.: +32 (0)2 432 43 99

E-mail: info@iwt.be

www.iwt.be

agentschap voor Innovatiedoor Wetenschap en Technologie