CTCI and technology transfer: key concepts

The main concepts for understanding research, technology development, innovation and knowledge and technology transfer processes.

What does CTCI mean?

CTCI stands for Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation (Ciencia, Tecnología, Conocimiento e Innovación). In Chile, the term refers to the system that brings together the activities, institutions and people involved in research, knowledge generation, technology development and transfer, and innovation.

Law 21,105 establishes that the National Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation System includes public bodies, research and higher education institutions, and private individuals and institutions that carry out, promote or support activities in these fields. It also covers human capital training, basic and applied research, technology development and transfer, and public and private innovation.

What is R&D?

R&D stands for Research and Development. According to the OECD Frascati Manual (2015), it comprises creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge and to devise new applications of that knowledge. For an activity to be considered R&D it must meet, among other criteria, novelty, creativity, uncertainty, a systematic approach and the possibility of being transferred or reproduced.

R&D covers three types of activity: basic research, applied research and experimental development. Basic research seeks to generate knowledge about the underlying foundations of phenomena without necessarily having a specific application in view. Applied research is directed toward a specific practical aim, while experimental development draws on knowledge gained from research and experience to develop or improve products and processes.

What is technology transfer?

Technology transfer is the transmission or delivery of technological information or technology from whoever develops or owns it to a third party that needs to use or exploit it.

In Chile, INAPI notes that transfer can involve industrial property assets, such as patents, and can take place through mechanisms such as licensing or the assignment of rights. The process may also involve a negotiation between the parties and be formalized through contracts or agreements.

Technology transfer can take different forms depending on the characteristics of the technology, the rights involved and the capabilities of those taking part in the process.

What is intellectual property?

Intellectual property comprises legal mechanisms designed to protect certain creations and results of intellectual activity. It includes industrial property, which covers patents, trademarks, utility models and industrial designs.

In technology transfer processes, industrial property rights can allow their owners to authorize third parties to use a technology through license agreements, or to assign those rights. INAPI notes that a patent, for example, gives its owner the ability to prevent third parties from exploiting the protected invention without authorization and makes it possible to enter into license agreements or transfer the right.

The right protection for each result should be assessed according to the characteristics of each development and the transfer strategy.

What is an OTL?

Technology Transfer and Licensing Offices (OTL, for their Spanish acronym) are units linked to universities or other research institutions that work on processes related to the transfer of results and technologies.

In Chile, the Ministry of Science uses the term established OTLs to refer to universities that have been awarded CORFO and/or ANID OTL calls.

OTLs can take part in activities related to identifying and assessing technologies, intellectual property, transfer and licensing. Their scope and organization can vary from one institution to another.