The University of New South Wales has entered a new partnership with international research portal the iBridge Network to promote the university’s IP to entrepreneurs around the world.

 

The iBridge Network brings together university researchers, entrepreneurs and industry to promote and identify research opportunities, collaborate with other experts in the same or complimentary fields and license their innovations for practical benefit. The iBridge Network is a program funded by the Kauffman Foundation, a global non-profit organisation focussed on entrepreneurship.

 

The new iBridge Network partnership comes as UNSW revamps its approach to IP. UNSW is the first Australian university to free-up locally developed IP and offer it businesses for free, under what's known as the Easy Access IP approach. Easy Access IP makes university technologies available to companies at no cost, using quick and simple licensing agreements.

 

UNSW is the first Easy Access IP university to link with the iBridge Network. The partnership gives UNSW a new channel to distribute its knowledge internationally.

 

Other members of the Easy Access IP university group include: The University of Glasgow, University of Bristol, Kings College London, University of Copenhagen and Ottawa University.

 

The pioneer of Easy Access IP, and the head of UNSW's commercialisation company, NewSouth Innovations, Dr Kevin Cullen, said the link with the iBridge Network would increase the flow of knowledge being put into use.

 

"We believe that the combination of Easy Access IP and the iBridge Network will ultimately deliver economic, social and cultural benefits - the objectives of technology transfer all over the world," Dr Cullen said.

 

iBridge Network and iStart director Katie Petersen said: "The iBridge Network is excited about the collaboration with the Easy Access IP community, which we consider one of the most innovative programs in our network."

 

"The collaboration with the Easy Access IP community will allow the partner universities to become part of a global marketplace of ideas and collaborations," she said.