Versione italiana

Innovation is an essential process for creating a competitive advantage for companies. The University of Padua fits into the Open Innovation model, allowing companies to utilise the wealth of knowledge and expertise developed within the University, many of which are protected by patents.

Companies can access advanced technological innovations tested in an academic setting, reducing internal research costs, and initiating a virtuous cycle of competitive advantage and innovation.

• Visit the University of Padua's Patent Showcase (Italian)

Obtaining a Patent or Know-How License

The University can grant third parties the right to economically exploit its technologies and knowledge (patents, know-how, etc.) in exchange for a fee, through a licensing agreement.
A license must contain the following elements, which will be subject to negotiation between the parties:

• Exclusivity/non-exclusivity (exclusive license, where the University cannot grant other licenses to third parties; non-exclusive license, where the University can grant the same right to multiple parties);
• Duration;
• Territory (the license can be, for example, European, only Italian, extended to the entire territory where patent rights are held, or only part of it);
• Field of application (the right to exploit can be granted only for a specific application field);
• Type of exploitation (licenses for use, commercialisation, sale of products);
• Fee, usually composed of:
• a lump-sum (so-called "one-off"), i.e., a sum paid upon signing the license agreement in one or more instalments,
• further sums conditioned on the occurrence of certain events/milestones,
• royalties, i.e., periodic payments in the form of a percentage determined based on different parameters such as sales or net revenue derived from the exploitation of the patent, typically reported annually.

How to apply for a patent

Contacts
Companies interested in obtaining more information on the patents available and initiating negotiations with the University are invited to contact the Third Mission and Research Valorisation Office of the University of Padua.