agency for Innovationby Science and Technology

agency for Innovationby Science and Technology

INNOVATION MANDATES:

Funding programme for postdoctoral researchers

Veerle Cauwenberg

July 1st ,2013

Overview

• Purpose• General terms and conditions• Different types of IM-grants• Consortium• Budget and support• Intellectual property rights• Application• Evaluation• Timing

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IWT postdoctoral mandates:purpose

- 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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IWT postdoctoral mandates

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Education

Research

Innovation

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Innovation mandates

General terms and conditions

• Funding is granted on a project basis to individual researchers

• Supported by one or more:- Scientific promotor(s):

- responsible for the scientific supervision (scientific quality and progress of the project)

- Industrial mentor(s):- involved in the strategic orientation of the project and guidance in valorisation aspects- co-responsible for the financing in phase 2

• The mandate holder is an employee of the knowlegde centre, with the option to become an employee of the company in a later phase (phase 2)

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Different types of mandates

• Particular form of project-based support within the - SBO-funding programme- Industrial R&D funding programme

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- prior to the application, consultation of the TechTransfer office of the university/research institute is required

- 100% support for maximum 2 years (mandate stops at the date of foundation of the company)- support to the research institute - 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 - 100% support to the knowledge centre- 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

- 50% or 60% (for SME’s) support to the company- 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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IWT-Innovation mandates

- Switch from phase 1 to phase 2:- No discontinuity- No additional overhead- Evaluation of the project proposal:

advice by external experts about phase 1advice by external experts about phase 2

- By the end of phase 1: agreement between the knowledge centre and the company about the transfer of results

- New decision of the Board of Directors and new funding agreement with the company

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IWT-Innovation mandates

- 2-years mandates, maximum 3 years (with co-financing of a company)

- Mandates with 2 phases can only be extended in phase 2 (12 + 24 months)

- The funding programme is open to all nationalities and all academic disciplines, to anyone who holds a doctorate diploma

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Partners

• Applicant:1) spin-off mandate and phase 1: candidate mandate holder affiliated to a knowledge centre

2) phase 2: the company

• Partners:1) research institute + scientific promotor; company + industrial mentor

2) candidate mandate holder, research institute + scientific promotor; company appoints an industrial mentor.

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Candidate mandate holder

• The scheme is open to anyone who holds a doctoral diploma

• In case the PhD defense is planned in the short term (within 6 months), we need a written declaration of the scientific promotor with the planned date of the PhD defense + no contra-indications

• The same candidate can only be granted an innovation mandate once

• A candidate can apply max. 2 times• A candidate may not apply at the same time for funding

through another IWT funding programme

Transitional measure:• Extension of an ongoing “onderzoeksmandaat” (OZM) is

only possible by an innovation mandate in phase 2 (with co-financing of a company)

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Company

All companies with activities in the Flemish region Sufficient added value for Flanders remains important and

is an evaluation criterion Commitment for the whole project period Assignment of an industrial mentor Cooperation between companies is possible In phase 2, the company can be the employer of the

mandate holder

See also: http://www.iwt.be/faq/veel-gestelde-vragen-rond-het-kmo-programma-

kmo-faq-box

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Knowlegde centres

- Employer of the mandate holder (mostly)- Responsible for the scientific supervision- Publications/protection of knowledge e.g. by patent

applications

cooperation agreement interface offices

- Spin-off mandates: prior consultation of the interface offices

- Cooperation with different knowledge centres: good agreements are necessary

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Budget

- Basis = pay-roll of 1 postdoctoral researcher, according to the salary scales of the knowledge centre

- Other costs = (fixed costs + operating costs + equipment costs)= maximum 40.000 euro/FTE per year

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

No fixed sum but a maximum (details)

- Budget has to be discussed beforehand with the different partners

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IWT-support

• IWT-support: The funding is project-based, granted by IWT either to the

knowledge centre, either to the company IWT does not act as en employer, and is not responsible for

the direct payment of the salary to the mandate holder The funding is paid in instalments every six months, in the

form of advance payments

• The employer is responsible for the contractual aspects and reimbursements of the mandate holder

• In phase 1 and for spin-off mandates: support = 100%• In phase 2:

• Large companies: 50% support• S(M)E’s: min. 60% support

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2013: What is new?

• Stimulation of the cooperation with S(M)E’s:

- ME: funding rate is 60% - for SE’s: the funding rate is raised to 70%

- for all organisations: the project can get 10% extra support if there is a 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 a SME.

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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)

- 3 different application forms:- Spin-off mandate- Phase 1, followed by phase 2- Directly start in phase 2

- Appendices have to be submitted in a separate file:- Declaration of the candidate mandate holder (and of the company in

phase 2)- Budget (dedicated excel-file)- Copy of the doctoral diploma- Signed declaration for cooperation- Term sheet/collaboration agreement (or with a commitment to

provide these documents to IWT no later than five working days before the oral defence. )

- (Company information – financial data)

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Funding agreement

• Funding agreement IWT-knowledge centre or IWT-company (phase 2) The funding is paid in instalments every six months, in the

form of advance payments. Specific for one mandate holder (cannot change)

• Mutual cooperation agreement Company-knowledge centre(s) Mutual payments IPR & use of the results

• The IWT-funding agreement can only be signed after the approval of the cooperation agreement

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Start date

• Start date At the latest, 6 months after the decision by the Board

of Directors Can only be started once the doctoral diploma has

been obtained

• Retro-activity is possible: Earliest possible start date = 1st of the month

following the deadline for submission Period before the decision: at the risk of either the

knowledge centre or the company Only possible if the requirements are met, as well as

all the conditions to carry out the research

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Follow up

• Progress report every six months (for each payment)

• Final report

• Financial report at the end of the project: corresponding to the real costs and committed funding rate, last payment = accepted funding minus the instalments already paid

• Changes within the scope of the innovation goal: OK

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2nd call in 2013

Deadline for submission: September 9th, 2013 at 12.00 noon

• submit an electronic version to im@iwt.be (or CD-rom)

• 2 separate files: • 1 file with the application form (parts 1 – 4)• 1 file with the signed declarations (appendices): budget, copy of

doctoral diploma, declaration of cooperation, term sheet/ cooperation agreement, (financial data of the company).

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

• Oral defense: November, 2013

• Decision: December 19th, 2013 25

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Contact persons

programme: Veerle Cauwenberg (vc@iwt.be)

Secretary: Herlinde Franco (hf@iwt.be)

Input : Life Sciences: Mia Callens, ICT-mechatronics: Carine Lucas, Materials-chemistry-process technology: Veerle Cauwenberg

Director: Maarten Sileghem

Questions: mail to im@iwt.be

Koning Albert II-laan 35 b 16

B-1030 Brussels

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

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

E-mail: info@iwt.be

www.iwt.be

agency for Innovationby Science and Technology