Technology Transfer at CERN Enrico Chesta Head of CERN Technology Transfer and Intellectual Property Management Section Knowledge Transfer Group, FP Department
How can CERN have an impact beyond fundamental physics?
Selling beam time to industry is not an option Beam energy: Linac 2: 50 MeV Proton Synchrotron Booster (PSB): 1.4 GeV Proton Synchotron (PS): 25 GeV Super Proton Synchotron (SPS): 450 GeV Large Hadron Collider (LHC): 4 TeV per beam After LS1 (2015): 7 TeV per beam 14 TeV total collision energy
Superconductivity (13kA, 7MJoules) Core Technology Areas Vacuum (10-12 Torr) Cryogenics (1.9 K) Very high performance detectors and electronics Magnets (10 T) Data processing (15 PB/year)
CERN impact-driven model
CERN technology portfolio ~200 TT cases (40% open) ~20 invention disclosures per year ~45 patent families (50% exploited) cern.ch/knowledgetransfer
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Back-up slides
Typical Technology Transfer Steps
KT Group @ HR Induction Dual-mode service-oriented approach Intellectual Property Management Services for CERN Community Technology Transfer Support to External Partners Legal advice on IP issues Patentability studies Market assessments Industrial needs monitoring Contract negotiation Promotional activities Technology scouting Financial support to KT projects Assistance to spin-off creation Collaborative R&D model: set-up partnerships with industry to use CERN competences in support of innovative applications and creation of joint IP Licensing Approach: give access to CERN technology portfolio for scientific and commercial use
Definitions: TRLs Technology Readiness Levels 1 2 3 Simplified Definition Technology application formulated and basic concept demonstrated Functional validation in laboratory environment Representative prototype fully qualified (technology ready to transfer) Technology Readiness and Exploitation Levels
Particle accelerators for hadron therapy Example: Medical Applications Photons Protons Particle detectors for medical imaging Grid computing for medical data management and analysis
CERN TT Target
Where the World Wide Web was born
CERN Open Hardware License A legal framework to facilitate knowledge exchange across the electronic design community. In the spirit of knowledge and technology dissemination, the CERN OHL was created to govern the use, copying, modification and distribution of hardware design documentation, and the manufacture and distribution of products. Hardware design documentation includes schematic diagrams, designs, circuit or circuit-board layouts, mechanical drawings, flow charts and descriptive texts, as well as other explanatory material. CERN OHL v1.1 Launched in 2011, great interest from the worldwide community More than 50 hardware designs licensed under CERN OHL 16 companies involved! The license is being used by people outside our community as well (and for any kind of hardware) Thanks to the interactions with the community, we are improving the license and preparing v1.2 Visit: http://www.ohwr.org
CERN Easy Access IP
Patents are taken in order to: Increase the probability of having the technology transferred Significantly enhance the commercial value of the technology Ensure CERN s recognition as the originator of an invention
TT: not a trivial process First «Touch-Screen» First «Mouse»
Example of an effective TT tool: the KT Fund Financial tool introduced 2 years ago, using resources generated by the exploitation of CERN IP portfolio (1/3 of generated revenues) Typically, it can be used to fund internal projects to build proof of concepts or prototypes; overall target: bringing CERN technologies closer to the market The requests are evaluated by a Committee composed by all the Department Heads 6 projects were approved and financed in 2011, 6 more in 2012 Requests can be submitted anytime, the selection committee usually meets in Autumn Can be considered as an incentive tool
CERN Business Ideas Accelerator (BIA) Concept Network of European Universities providing technical students Individual entrepreneurs including staff from CERN or partner organizations BIA Admission Conditions: -1 year max -no revenue generation -pre-incubation contract Projects flow CERN pre-incubator -Part-time support from CERN inventors -Use of Lab facilities and CERN infrastructure -Business Creation and IP support BIA Outcome: -Business Plan -Demonstrators National Innovation Funds National incubator 1 UK-STFC National incubator 2? National incubator n Investors Spin-off companies
Importance of TT professional networks CERN KT INET/ENET
Examples
NEG NEG Traditional thin film Getter coating Pump LEP (CERN) Non-Evaporable Getter thin film coatings Used to create and maintain ultra-high vacuum in accelerators by absorbing gas molecules in vacuum chambers Have multiple other applications in addition to accelerators
NEG CERN most successful patent! 8 non-exclusive licenses 3 Service/Consultancy agreements 1 Spin-Off Company
NEGs Application to UHV Pumps
SRB Energy Spin-off company Uses NEG to create ultra high vacuum flat panel solar collectors Captures diffused or indirect light Solar thermal with very high temperatures up to 300 degrees Six additional patents filed and jointly owned by SRB Energy and CERN: Device for vacuum tight soldering an evacuated solar collector Solar panel collector with cooling conduits comprising thermal expansion means Protective device for a solar panel collector High efficiency evacuated solar panel Evacuated solar panel with non evaporable getter pump Sealing mechanism for an evacuated device
Evacuated Solar Panels for Geneva Airport
Project MEDICIS (Medical Isotopes Collected from ISOLDE) 100 ISOLDE Nat. & stable 80 60 Z 40 20 0 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 Neutrons
MEDICIS expected results - Innovative isotopes for PET imaging, brachytherapy, targetted a-therapy - Innovative protocoles Carrier-free, ~ 500 MBq, pilot batches: 47 Sc from natural Ti targets 61 Cu from Y 2 O 3 nanostructured targets 149 Tb for targetted alpha therapy, in a second phase Note: Alpharadin by Bayer, based on 223Ra, should get approval from FDA next year for treatment of prostate/breast cancer with bone metastasis
Medipix A family of single photon counting integrated circuits used in Hybrid Silicon Pixel Detectors The Medipix collaborations (around 20 institutes) contributed to the development and dissemination of the technology A good example of how (fundamental) science fosters innovation which can be transferred to society and back!
Mars Bioimaging Color CT X-ray scanner based on the Medipix technology (courtesy of MARS Bioimaging Ltd)
Dutch company PANalytical Partnership and license agreements X-ray diffractometer for material analysis Images: PANalytical