June, 2010

Lab to land is the ultimate goal of any invention. Sometimes we also term it as invention-investment gap. In simple words, it can be understood as converting an idea into an asset. Thus an idea conceived and formulated at the laboratory stage is to ultimately meet the test of techno-commercial viability. Whereas the invention of an idea is the job of a scientist, to convert it into a commercial asset, useful for the consumer and the society is the job of an entrepreneur. In this way, the task of an IP cell in an organization is to manage the inventions and the innovations in the most co-ordinated manner so that the gap between the invention and investment is minimized for each novel invention taking place at the laboratory or at the research center.

It is important to undertake different kind of tests and searches to establish that the idea or invention is new in order to save time and money to avoid duplicating the research and invention which is already in the public domain or for which the patent already exists. This process is known as designing around the research activities so that not only a novel invention is carried out but also a watch is kept on the research activity of the competitor's technology. This process is carried out through the help of certain sophisticated software and the database and is precisely known as patentability study. The techniques used are white space analysis, patent analysis, IP analysis and/or the technology mapping and landscaping.

Thus the several techniques used for patentability study enables the organization for effective management of the research and development. This requires a transparent IP policy within the organization for a clear understanding between the scientist and the IP cell which is responsible for protection and enforcement of the IP asset of the organization. The second important function of the IP cell is to justify the R&D expenditure by effective commercialization of the inventions. This is done by early evaluation and valuation of the technology so that the process for additional expenditure on research and patenting can be undertaken only for the inventions which are commercially viable.

It is thus clear that the process of converting an idea into an asset is skillful and innovative. The conventional assumptions about an IP Consultancy firm that it means only filing of a patent application for registration and thus has a limited scope of protection and enforcement of IPR alone is no longer valid. Today's dynamic world driven by knowledge economy calls for strategic solution for innovation and technology and ITAG provides a gateway and one stop solution for IP management in a comprehensive manner. IP Leveraging helps the innovator to maximize the value of IP by using the same to the extent of its own financial and marketing capacity and licensing out to others for optimum value realization.

ITAG and its team have evolved a unique system of identifying the invention as its roots and to help the IP cell of any research based organization for an effective and productive functioning of R&D center by using several software tools and applying several techniques of innovation process management. Our team has also developed effective technology valuation system to apprise the management of the ultimate commercial value of the invention. We also help management in developing a complete IP manual for the effective and transparent functioning of the IP cell including training to the scientists involved in the process of inventions and innovation.

-Dr. D. R. Agarwal