Intellectual assets management and transfer in animal science sector at the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)

Intellectual assets in animal science at the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) such as vaccines, diagnostic kits, food products and processes, know-how, designs, parameters are managed by protecting with the different Intellectual Property (IP) tools such as patents, trademarks, and designs. A three tier IP management system of ICAR is given a range of proven results, including 245 patent applications filed by 15 animal science research institutes, out of which 130 were filed during 2007 to 2012 and 39 in 2013-14 in 12 subject specific areas of animal science. A total of 22 patent applications were granted to five research institutes, which falls under six classes (A, B, C, D, F, G and H) of the IPC classification, as specified in its 24 sub-classes. Eighteen trademarks were filed by four ICAR institutes in different groups of trademark classes for their goods and services. IVRI, Izatnagar had also filed 13 designs for their engineering items and product development. To transfer such intellectual assets, 166 partnerships were developed by 12 ICAR institutes for 102 technologies. These assets belong to 12 different subject specific areas of animal science. These assets were transferred through different modes of commercialization to 110 public and private organizations. IP protected asset transfer was on its higher side with 21.56 per cent, which is a successful indicator for ICAR as a research organization. The outcome of these efforts has opened the path for research and its incubation in the mode of business for well being of its major clients including farmer and livestock industry.