The number of licenses, options and divestment agreements increased by 33% in 2018, the highest number since the survey began. Most licenses have been signed with Irish companies (76%) 61% for Irish SMEs. Most of the licenses were for patents and software. In 2019, the volume of research cooperation between industry and public research institutes increased, with 2,168 research cooperation projects implemented at the end of the year, such as Knowledge Transfer Ireland (CTI), the national office responsible for facilitating companies` access to and benefiting from publicly funded research. , 2,168 cooperation projects at the end of the year. This agreement is intended to be used in situations where it has been agreed that, as soon as it has been created as part of a joint project, the IP is a common property and describes how that IP is managed between the parties. As part of its work, KTI collects and analyzes data from eight Irish universities, a technology university, eleven institutes and research institutions, in collaboration with the Higher Education Authority (HIGHer Education Authority, EEA), the Knowledge Transfer Survey (ACTS). The survey includes activities such as licensing, research cooperation, consulting and spin-out business. The number of new research and development agreements with companies is broadly stable: 1,262 new contracts have been signed in 2019. Of these, 84% were Irish companies and 73% were Irish SMEs.
The volume of research cooperation projects underway with industry at the end of 2019 shows a significant increase of 18% over the previous year. “We also see an ongoing phase in 2018 from a research-industry transaction model, which requires negotiations for each new project, to a relational model that accelerates the implementation of product research. In 2018, there were 365 repetitive co-operations, an increase of 19% over the previous year. We will focus on this dynamic of qualitative progress and volume growth. CTI provides, among other things, information and advice in the areas of research cooperation, consulting, licensing and spin-out opportunities. It helps companies and investors access expertise and intellectual property and enables them to establish appropriate contacts and information on the financing of funds available to support innovation. In 2018, cooperation between industry and science has led to a 33% increase in licenses, option contracts and divestment contracts, according to studies.