The European Commission has opened a public survey on a planned EU “Blueprint” intended to guide how universities and public research organisations license intellectual property and create spinout companies.
The Blueprint is listed as a deliverable under the Commission’s “Lab to Unicorn” initiative, which sits within its EU Startup and Scaleup Strategy, the EU executive noted in a statement.
Intellectual property — often shortened to IP — refers to creations such as inventions or designs that can be legally protected and licensed for others to use.
The Commission said the Blueprint is intended to support the commercialisation of results from publicly funded research by offering practical guidance on topics including licensing academic IP to third parties, royalty and revenue sharing, taking equity in academic spinouts, and incentives for researchers.
Views sought on discussion paper
Responses are being sought on a discussion paper that sets out proposed elements for the Blueprint, which was developed using stakeholder workshops and the findings of independent experts.
The Commission said it is inviting input from universities, public research organisations, public authorities, innovative companies, technology transfer professionals, researchers, founders and investors.
The survey is open until 16 August 2026, and the Commission said the Blueprint is expected to be published by the end of 2026.
