Nowadays, knowledge transfer cross-borders is increasingly easier to achieve due to the development of information technology with a focus on information sharing. This paper has its focus on Science e-Parks and crowd sourcing platforms. However, issues to consider when using these techs are to ensure that patents holds and that an open source agreement in Europe is applied the same elsewhere. The treaty (knowledge transfer) aims to ensure that European companies get the best knowledge transfer into our European R & D projects. It will help European companies enhance its competitiveness.
1. Jan Softa at Somerco Date: 2014-01-28
Somerco at Suite 177, 372 Old street, EC1V 9LT London, UK. Phone: 07733 824 711. info@somerco.com
Enhance the EC member states competitiveness
Part 18 – Treaty (Knowledge transfer)
Abstract
Nowadays, knowledge transfer cross-borders is increasingly easier to achieve due to the development of information
technology with a focus on information sharing. This paper has its focus on Science e-Parks and crowd sourcing
platforms. However, issues to consider when using these techs are to ensure that patents hold and that an open
source agreement in Europe is applied the same elsewhere. The treaty (knowledge transfer) aims to ensure that
European companies get the best knowledge transfer into our European R & D projects. It will help European
companies enhance its competitiveness.
Background
Helping geniuses! Our slogan sums up whom Somerco aims to help. Somerco are a company
that target to help researchers and innovators so that these geniuses can create prosperity and
jobs in society. For multinationals and SMEs, international treaties are beneficial for trade. Some
are adopted by bilateral agreements and other by international organizations as WTO. I put
forward suggestions for a treaty in order to help European companies get the best knowledge
transfer into our European R & D projects.1
Introduction
When it concerns knowledge transfer between countries there has often been a focus on either
letting the professionals immigrate to your country or give them grants to come and conduct
research. Also common approaches are regular phone calls, study other company’s inventions
and follow the latest research by reading research papers or participate at conferences. From time
to time it is necessary for governmental agencies to evaluate how new methods or technology
can be used. The government’s role in this regard is to listen to industry in order to help develop
treaties with rules and regulations that increases the competitiveness of its industry. To ensure
competitiveness it is important to help companies R & D projects have the best possibilities to
succeed. Therefore, an international treaty that focuses on knowledge transfer cross-borders is
beneficial.
Attract
Research & developed for large and mid-sized companies has for a long time been global. Also
established small businesses have greater opportunities than before to optimize their R& D
efforts due to improved information communications. Especially for start-ups, this change is
valid since these techs are easy and cheap to use. Even if the information communications has
improved and created these opportunities there are many issues that can be improved. An
improvement should focus on how Europe can ensure that its R & D projects have access to the
best knowledge in a global environment.
Knowledge transfer
With a treaty for knowledge transfer in place it will be easier to carry out R & D projects in
Europe. Several issues are important to consider. The issues I consider are how to secure IP
1
This paper is a continuation of the papers entitled Keep talents In Europe, Crowdfunding and crowdsourcing,
Research leftovers and Open-source from science to society.
2. Jan Softa at Somerco Date: 2014-01-28
Somerco at Suite 177, 372 Old street, EC1V 9LT London, UK. Phone: 07733 824 711. info@somerco.com
rights when working on online platforms where people can jump in on projects whenever, an
open source agreement for many industry sectors and employment of professionals with key
knowledge from abroad. Knowledge transfer can be conducted on Science e – Parks and crowd
sourcing platforms. While Science e – Parks is a platform that has customized features for R &
D, crowd sourcing is a platform where you solve online work tasks in general. Also important is
to have key people work for our companies - no matter their nationality or location. When it is
possible for these key people to use these online platforms it is important to consider how patents
hold in this new environment and to consider how open source agreements for all types of
industry sectors will benefit the competitiveness of European companies.
Achieve
Europe can be leaders by starting to overlook its regulations and rules in order to find out how it
is possible to develop a framework that works in Europe. Fairly soon thereafter, invite other
countries to study the European framework for a treaty and let them amend issues they consider
important. Involve who? It is a too daunting task to include every country and there is a need to
focus on the key players and let the other countries bandwagon a treaty later. Besides EU, it is
important to include key players as Brazil, Canada, China, India, Japan, Russia, South Korea and
US. Moreover, many African countries are putting in more and more resources into R & D,
which is evident with the establishment of new Science Parks that focus on high tech. These
could contribute with perspectives vital for countries that started to emphasize on R & D later.
An African organization that could fit the bill for this treaty is - Africa IP right organization.
Moreover, EU is suitable to use as a negotiation partner with other key partners since it fulfils
three important criteria – its human capital and economic resources is large enough to develop;
to negotiate and to enforce a treaty effectively.
Possibilities
Once EU has its framework, the possibilities to achieve a treaty with other countries for
knowledge transfer are greater than before. It is due to that many countries has matured from
having an industry and service sector that was dependent on copying others products and are
increasingly becoming producers of innovations to products and services on its own merits.
Therefore, these have an increased interest of how patents hold and in an open source
agreements that cover many industry sectors. Two countries that fit into this description are
Russia and China.
Two examples
Before countries like China and Russia was not paying attention to IP-rights to the same extent
as EU, Japan, Canada and US wished. China has had a rapid development from an economy
based on the agrarian sector to moving onto industrialization based on products invented in other
countries. Nowadays, you find companies producing products based on its own inventions and it
has an information society similar to ours. The companies in these sectors are to an increasing
extent innovators of new products. In China, 1 million people get a Ph. D. degree every year. All
these are bound to produce new inventions with all its R & D in different science disciplines. For
Europe, to be able to invite these into R & D projects conducted in Europe are interesting.
Russians are well-educated people with a high percentage of university degrees among its
inhabitants in science disciplines that are interesting for industry. Higher than in many EU
countries. You also find that about fifteen years ago Russian authorities started to crack down on
pirate copied products. The reason was due to legal agreements between Russia, EU and other
countries had been implemented. However, these agreements are not considering the challenges
and opportunities that crowd sourcing and Science e – Parks can be for R & D projects. Due to
3. Jan Softa at Somerco Date: 2014-01-28
Somerco at Suite 177, 372 Old street, EC1V 9LT London, UK. Phone: 07733 824 711. info@somerco.com
Chinas and Russia’s transformation into information societies many of their companies in
different industry sectors should have an interest in using this technology.
Knowledge gaps
The options to relocate talented professionals to companies in Europe are an option that is suited
for permanent employment and long-term projects that runs for many years. In many other cases,
R & D projects runs for a few weeks up to a year. What if we could attract all these professionals
from Russia, China and elsewhere to be part of R & D projects conducted in the EU-zone? It
would help companies fill temporary knowledge gaps for their R & D projects that are less
sensitive to protect. I believe these possibilities could be improved with a treaty that focuses on
knowledge transfer that secures IP-rights in this environment and an open source agreement
developed in EU that is valid elsewhere. It means if it is open sourced in Europe it cannot be
patented elsewhere.
Roadmap
The goal is to increase knowledge transfer. In order to achieve this, EU should involve
professionals who conduct business with IP-rights, representatives from the open source society,
industry in general and in particular representatives from companies that provide information
sharing platforms. Issues to consider are possibilities to develop an open source agreement valid
for many industry sectors2
and how patents hold if anyone would be able to jump in whenever on
R & D projects on Science e-Parks and crowd sourcing platforms.
Bullet points for a treaty
the goal/aim is to get knowledge transfer cross-borders,
the means are usage of Science e-Parks and crowd sourcing platforms
and the outcome are an overlook of how patents holds and how to apply open source
agreements in this newer environment.3
Yours sincerely,
Jan Softa
2
As I proposed in the proposal Research Leftovers, it could enhance European company’s competitiveness if these
got access to EU funded research leftovers after two years.
3
In this paper the is a focus on the online environment. However, when it concern an open source agreement for
many industries that are developed in Europe such an agreement could just as well be negotiated and applied on R &
D projects conducted outside the online environment.