In this advanced Masterclass, participants will explore the negotiation of IP agreements in collaborative R&D projects between public research organisations and industry partners. The programme focuses on how to structure and negotiate key IP clauses — including ownership, access rights, licensing and spin-off arrangements — within the framework of EU State aid law.
Special attention will be given to the EU Framework for State aid for Research, Development and Innovation (RDI Framework) and the General Block Exemption Regulation (GBER).
Poorly structured IP agreements can unintentionally create State aid issues, exposing both research organisations and companies to legal, financial and reputational risks. At the same time, overly cautious or unclear contracts may hinder collaboration, limit commercial impact and slow down knowledge transfer activities. Understanding how to negotiate IP terms that are both compliant and commercially workable is therefore essential for successful and sustainable R&D partnerships across Europe.
This highly practical Masterclass combines concise legal and economic insights with real-life case studies, contract clause analysis and interactive discussions. Participants will learn how to identify State aid “red flags” in IP agreements, apply the RDI Framework and GBER to real-world scenarios, and translate these requirements into robust contractual language.
By the end of the programme, participants will be able to:
This course is designed for professionals at universities, research institutes, and Knowledge/Technology Transfer Offices (K/TTOs) who are responsible for the negotiations of intellectual property (IP) contracts with industry and private-sector partners.
Great networking, new knowledge and inspiration!
Jonas Rimbäck
University of Gothenburg, Sweden
Perfect place to meet colleagues and share experiences on Technology Transfer.
Lidia Aguilera
University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg
Fruitful discussion.
Cecile Henrich-Burkhardt
Technical University of Munich, Germany
It was great to experience the uncomplicated and fruitful exchange with colleagues from all over Europe, as well as the positive professional spirit of this conference.
Franck Döbrich
Universitat des Saarlandes WuT GmbH, Germany
There was ample opportunity to learn from colleagues through the workshop sessions or more formally through speakers either sharing their years of experience or their state of the art research. Well worth attending.
John Gleeson
University of Limerick, Ireland
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