This chapter informs public sector organisations how best to exploit their knowledge asset for a different use to its original purpose, including: A knowledge asset management strategy should provide an organisation with an internal guide to decision-making through the life cycle of its knowledge assets. It should be tailored to the core activities of the organisation, but should also set out how the organisation handles assets which might have a purpose of value outside of that core function. A more comprehensive approach might involve gathering an inter-disciplinary team, including colleagues from innovative areas of the business, as well as colleagues in corporate roles such as finance, strategy and legal.

The challenges of knowledge asset valuation mean that a deep understanding of value is likely to require significant expert input, which can be expensive. In addition, market comparators, which can often provide a useful benchmark for valuation, are often more difficult to identify. For this reason, a detailed valuation only tends to be appropriate in certain, more limited, circumstances. Incentives for individuals as part of any financial incentives scheme it is worth being aware that if any patent benefits that accrue to an organisation are disproportionately greater than the reward to the individual, the individual can apply for compensation, as outlined in the Patents Act 1977, sections 40-41 Another consideration is whether your HR policies provide the necessary flexibility for innovators to move into and out of the organisation, in the form of secondments or other arrangements. It is often appropriate for knowledge assets with wider, potentially commercial, applications to be developed outside of the organisation that generated it and there should be flexibility for people to move with their ideas in these circumstances. In addition, movement between organisations within the public sector can help build and share skills as well as deepen networks across government. Evaluation and review of strategydeveloping a business case, identifying whether it is internal, cross-government or an external opportunity Skills requirements also grow as you go through the funnel. It is important to have those with a deep understanding of the asset helping to inform this process from the start. But as an idea is developed other expert skills will be needed, particularly around business development. The idea that goes into the funnel may look quite different by the time it’s got to the other end, as it receives more scrutiny and is developed further. financial value – licensing, selling or exploiting knowledge assets through other commercial means to secure a financial return for the taxpayer Box 4.B. provides a simplified version of a model that you can use to test your thinking before going into contracts with third parties.

Government is a large driver of R&D in the UK economy. It provides significant funding to universities and others to provide this R&D through grants, but it also spends a significant amount on such activity on its own account. Knowledge assets are the primary output of this R&D and proper identification, protection and exploitation of these assets is key to ensuring that the R&D is being effectively managed. Reputational assets refer to ways of distinguishing the goods and services of one entity from those of another, and includes the reputation built up in a brand (including that of the government) as well as specific rights such as trade marks and coats of arms. Any kind of public sector asset can and should be considered. Candidates include both physical and intangible assets, for example land, buildings, equipment, software and intellectual property.” B. Public sector organisations should seek to ensure the UK receives a fair share of the benefits of a knowledge asset. Chapters 4 and 5 have been focused on those initial ideas, ensuring they are properly identified and protected. This chapter is focused on how you can pull these ideas through the funnel, appreciating that only a small proportion of what is fed into the process will come out at the other end in the form of a successful product or service.consideration of subsidy and competition law, identifying non-exclusive and exclusive licencing and arrangements Stage 7: Scale - If successful there is a case for reviewing business case of plan and seeing where there is scope to roll out more widely or scale up activity. Develop Sophie’s siblings, especially her oldest brother Hans, later to become a founding member of the Weiße Rose, also were members of non-Nazi groups of young people. These associations shared and propagated a love for nature, outdoor adventures, as well as the music, art and literature of German Romanticism. Originally seen as compatible with Nazi ideology by many, these alternative groups were slowly dissolved and finally banned by 1936. Hans remained active in one such group, however, and was arrested in 1937 along with several of the Scholl siblings. This arrest left a mark on Sophie’s conscience and began the process that eventually turned her from happy supporter of the Nazi system to active resistance fighter.

As illustrated in box 6.A, this chapter is largely focused on the ‘develop’, ‘deploy’ and, to a smaller extent, ‘scale’ phases of knowledge asset management. But the funnel is helpful in showing that this is not a smooth process, and narrowing down ideas can be an iterative one. This means that a process to manage ideas through this funnel should be light touch at the beginning and grow in intensity, so resources are committed appropriately. More than half of all UK research is a product of international partnerships. With this in mind, HMG has published Trusted Research Guidance for Academia which provides advice on the importance of properly protecting valuable information. This Guidance for Academia covers: how to protect research; safe international collaborations; use of legal frameworks; and who researchers are at risk from, and where. HMG also has Trusted Research Guidance for Industry, which provides more specific information when industry work with academia, and includes issues around ownership, publishing, and protection etc.In their attempt to gain traction for the resistance and to stop the war effort, they gave clear advice and advocated sabotage of Hitler’s war machine. Their fifth pamphlet stated: “And now every convinced opponent of National Socialism must ask himself how he can fight against the present ‘state’ in the most effective way….We cannot provide each man with the blueprint for his acts, we can only suggest them in general terms, and he alone will find the way of achieving this end: Sabotage in armament plants and war industries, sabotage at all gatherings, rallies, public ceremonies, and organizations of the National Socialist Party. Obstruction of the smooth functioning of the war machine….Try to convince all your acquaintances…of the senselessness of continuing, of the hopelessness of this war; of our spiritual and economic enslavement at the hands of the National Socialists; of the destruction of all moral and religious values; and urge them to passive resistance!” Protection of knowledge assets at this level requires active enforcement – there is no benefit to paying to register a right if there is no intention to enforce that right. This may mean pursuing potential infringers, which can have negative public perception. But where the wider implication is a loss of rights to the general public or a loss of value to the public sector, it is right for an organisation to defend the government’s position. However, litigation is usually costly and is not a criminal matter, and since infringement of IP rights is often unintentional, legal proceedings may not always be appropriate.

The individual knowledge asset generators and owners within an organisation will also be crucial to effective knowledge asset management. The effective implementation of a strategy should include consideration of how the organisation will encourage and support the behaviour at an individual level required to identify and develop these assets. For example, in some organisations it may be helpful to put in place incentive schemes to recognise, reward and support innovators. D. Lots of different IP rights are available, but not all knowledge assets can be protected via IP rights. It is also important to note that the three levels of knowledge asset protection can co-exist. Chapter 6: Exploiting knowledge assets through new applications and markets Protection strategies – to help your organisation decide on the best approach for handling your assets once identified, whether and how to protect them. The goal may be to release to the public, but do you nevertheless need to put protections in place to facilitate that transfer? income-based – this approach estimates the economic benefit that might derive from the knowledge asset, net of the costs. While this provides the most accurate assessment of value, it is hard to calculate, as it is hard to forecast future revenue streams. This means that such valuations can be highly subjective knowledge assets can have considerable value and impact beyond their original purpose and exploiting this is part of good asset management. This value can be social, economic and financial, and is often a combination of these.Having identified a knowledge asset with potential for further value, the first stage is to deepen that understanding. This will build on the analysis that has been conducted as part of any initial assessment and, to a large extent, will involve a deeper examination of those questions. In particular, by the end of this phase, it will be important to have a good understanding of the range of options for exploitation, and some initial views on which route is likely to maximise value and be deliverable. Develop options for exploitation For external partnership opportunities: execute business case - marketing, negotiation / ongoing maintenance membership drawn from key parts of the organisation, for example finance, commercial, scientific, technology