|
The
government is now taking steps to bring technology-based
products and processes from the laboratory to the
market.
This
objective guided a series of consultations on a proposed
national policy framework on the transfer
of technologies generated from public-funded research in
four major cities.
The
consultations brought together comments and suggestions
from public and private stakeholders on the proposed
policy.
“Once
enacted into law, the proposed national policy framework
hopes to address some problems nagging technology
transfer in the Philippines, particularly of those
technologies generated from publicly funded research,”
explains Dr. Albert P. Aquino, director of the
Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural
Resources Research and Development’s (PCARRD)
Socioeconomics Research Division.
These
problems include weak public-private research and
development collaboration; lack of harmonized,
coordinated and integrated technology transfer system;
conflicting issues on technology ownership and
information sharing; and lack of science and technology
support and resources for technology transfer, among
others.
Aquino
noted that public-funded and -generated technologies
often do not meet the requirements of local industries,
forcing them to acquire technologies elsewhere.
PCARRD
led the regional consultations in November separately
held in Manila, Cebu, Davao and Baguio.
The
2006-2007 Global Competitiveness Report ranked the
Philippines in 71st place out of 125 countries in terms
of technological readiness or ability to adopt local and
foreign technologies to enhance the productivity of its
industries. It also placed 79th in innovation or the
ability to produce new technologies.
To
facilitate the transfer of technologies generated by
government research and development institutions (RDIs)
to industry, the proposed national technology transfer
policy might adopt certain features of the US Bayh-Dole
Act.
The Bayh-Dole
Act allows the transfer of exclusive control over many
government-funded technologies to universities and
businesses operating with federal contracts for the
purpose of further development and commercialization.
Under
the Bayh-Dole Act, contracting universities and
businesses that generated technologies from
public-funded research are permitted to exclusively
license inventions to other parties.
The
federal government, however, retains “march-in” rights
to license the invention to a third party, without the
consent of the patent holder or original licensee when
it is determined that the invention is not being made
available to the public on reasonable basis.
Under
the proposed national policy framework, public and
private RDIs are allowed to retain the title over
intellectual properties generated from public-funded
research.
But
inability to transform resulting technology to a
commercial product, process or service within a
reasonable period shall give the government the right to
withdraw from the RDI the right over the intellectual
property.
The
proposed policy framework, once translated into law, is
expected to address the limited number of locally
generated and patented technologies, and their adoption
by local industries. It is now taking shape following
studies among various agencies of the Department of
Science and Technology through the coordination of
PCARRD.
--Ricardo R. Argana/S&T
Media Service |
