Collaboration between industrial design students and industry: sharing of knowledge and intellectual property

DS 76: Proceedings of E&PDE 2013, the 15th International Conference on Engineering and Product Design Education, Dublin, Ireland, 05-06.09.2013

Year: 2013
Editor: John Lawlor, Ger Reilly, Robert Simpson, Michael Ring, Ahmed Kovacevic, Mark McGrath, William Ion, David Tormey, Erik Bohemia, Chris McMahon, Brian Parkinson
Author: Verwulgen, Stijn; Goethijn, Frank; Vankerkhoven, Vanessa
Series: E&PDE
Institution: 1: University of Antwerp-Artesis University College, Belgium; 2: University of Antwerp, Vaxinfectio
Section: Design Education and Business
Page(s): 518-523
ISBN: 978-1-904670-42-1

Abstract

To optimize collaboration between industrial partners and students product development, specific agreements are needed for the protection and transfer of intellectual property created in e.g. master theses, including newly generated foreground know-how as well as existing background knowledge and confidential information. We have mapped the concerns of students, educational concerns and concerns from industry, and we have proposed a framework for collaboration and sharing knowledge and intellectual property between students, educational institute and industrial parties. The framework allows us to formulate particular agreements, which are applied now for several years at the Antwerp master of Product Development with regard to the master theses conducted by their students. The current paper describes the effect of using specific collaboration agreements by measuring the relative and absolute number of master theses that are being conducted in collaboration with industry and the relative and absolute number of projects which result in intellectual property being transferred to industry. Additionally, the master in product development aims to increase the amount of master theses in collaboration with academic research groups. Based on our analysis and first experiences, we formulate recommendations for collaboration agreements involving an academic partner that contributes to the master thesis through its scientific know-how. Importantly, all parties have an valorisation interest in the setting considered. Our findings might be useful for universities that host product development or related educational programs, to manage their contacts with industry and translate scientific knowledge to economic value and to optimize IP generation taking account concerns of all stakeholders. The methodology used in the paper can be transferred to other industrial design educational programs.

Keywords: Product development, foreground knowledge, intellectual property, valorisation, innovation

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