In 2007 the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, Oxford was awarded £57m over five years from the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) to carry out translational research for patient benefit.
This successful bid combined the research expertise of the University of Oxford and the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust to form a partnership which has flourished with a large number of successful collaborations. It continues to attract inward investment from industry, medical charities and other funding bodies.
This successful partnership continues to add value to existing intellectual property (IP) as well as creating new assets so there is a need for a systematic, agreed strategy between the Trust and University to help balance some of the key aims for IP exploitation.
To assist with this goal the IP Advisory Group (IPAG) has been set up and is headed by an independent Chairman, Tibor Gold. Mr Gold is a dual-qualified Solicitor and Patent and Trade Mark Attorney. He has extensive IP experience. He is also a past President of the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys (‘CIPA’) and an Honorary Fellow of the Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys. Tibor Gold was awarded an MBE in recognition of his services to Intellectual Property.
The IPAG will help the partners, carrying out translational research, with advice on:
· the partnership IP strategy and policy in terms of the OxBRC translational research programme
· the Trust’s IP lead on Trust IP policy and related operational issues
· other joint programmes or issues on joint IP (as referred by the Strategic Partnership Board)
The IPAG members include two representatives from Oxford University, and two representatives from the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals. IPAG will report to the Strategic Partnership Board and its first meeting is on 26 October.