Finance and Technology: 1+1=3 (or more…)

Sigmar Lampe, “Chargé de valorisation” at University of Luxembourg Finance and Technology
 
 
Sigmar – tell us about yourself and your job at the University:
 
I’m a semiconductor engineer by training, and a fully qualified European and Luxembourg patent and trademark attorney. As “Chargé de valorisation” at the University of Luxembourg, I am looking after the management of its IP portfolio and the exploitation of research results through licenses or the creation of spin-off companies. Half of my working time is dedicated specifically to the technology transfer activities at the SnT.
It is important to understand that technology transfer is more than the creation of spin-off companies or the granting of licenses. It is not an end in itself, but everything actually needs to be well prepared from the beginning by drafting appropriate IP clauses in the research collaboration contracts. Once results are generated, they need to be protected through the suitable IP instruments. And before any results can be licensed or spun off, it needs to prove that it actually works, both technically as well as economically.
 
 
What is FinTech for you?
 
Fintech needs to be more than a mere juxtaposition of – as the name suggests – Financial needs and Technological implementations. It needs to be developed further in order to create synergies that go beyond the mere sum of the two. The challenge today is that the inhabitants of these two worlds still need to explore each other’s needs and learn what they can gain from looking beyond their own domain.
 
 
How is intellectual property developed in partnership between university and industrial partners?
 
IP does not fall from the sky, nor do research results; it requires the appropriate setting in a research collaboration for both to be generated. That’s why we look after the collaboration contracts already during the negotiation phase in order to prepare a fruitful collaboration environment. For both parties it is important to define clear rules on IP ownership and the access rights to the results generated, while at the same time respecting the applicable legal frameworks where publicly funded research is involved.
 
 
Who owns the right to the IP and ability to exploit it?
 
In order to encourage open innovation, we insist that the IP created from collaborative research will be owned by the party who has generated it. In addition to being a clear rule, this is at the same time a strong incentive for both parties to actively seek to collaborate in all aspects of the joint research project. As to the use rights, these are typically linked to the input of each party: the more you put in, the more you will be able to use in the end. Where minimum contribution thresholds are met, the collaboration partner may have a non-exclusive royalty-free access to the research results in his specific field of use.
 
 
What are the main challenges in your job?
 
In the fintech area, we are faced with two important challenges when it comes to the protection of research results: neither business methods nor computer programs are considered patentable in Europe (and recently also in the U.S.), unless they lead to additional effects that go beyond those domains. We thus need to respect the two boundary conditions when selecting the suitable intellectual property. And recently, a third dimension has been added, where value is attributed more to open-source solutions rather than proprietary ones. As it is typical in new fields, the rules of the IP world will be tested and new solutions will be developed. It is thus a fascinating domain to be part of.
 
 
FinTech Gazette / January 2016