The course is for doctoral students and researchers in all fields. What is it about?
– The focus is on knowledge assets created through research in the form of, for example, inventions, knowledge, software, work practices and different types of methods. Properly managed, these assets can become very valuable and create benefits beyond academic publications. The course is about how to identify, control and utilise what you create in a more systematic way.
UU Innovation previously offered a credit-bearing course on intellectual property rights in research. How is this course different?
– We have chosen to call the course “Strategic management of research results” because this is a prerequisite for successful utilisation. Here, intellectual property protection often plays a key role because it is about taking control of how the results can be used. So, knowledge of intellectual property rights also has a natural place in this course, but we take an even broader approach and put intellectual property rights in a larger context. In addition, participants can choose to immerse themselves in the form of intellectual property protection that is most relevant to their particular area of research. This flexibility did not exist before.
What is the background behind these changes?
– The update we have made is based on both experiences from the previous course and from the counselling of doctoral students and researchers that we work with on a daily basis. We have simply seen that there is a need to take a holistic approach to the utilisation of research results and clarify that everything starts with acquiring knowledge about your knowledge assets.
If I took the course before, should I take this one too?
– It is not possible to say offhand, so the best thing to do is to contact us at UU Innovation and we can give you advice based on the questions you have and what you primarily want to learn.
What do you hope the new launch will lead to?
– With the broader and more flexible approach, we hope to see participants from all disciplinary domains. The course is suitable for anyone interested in gaining a better understanding of the potential of their research and how it can be utilised. This is knowledge that strengthens the possibilities of creating additional value from research results, but can also contribute to improving research applications, for example. In other words, the course is just as suitable for those who have finished results as for those who are about to plan a research project and how the future results will be utilised.