The University of Porto offers different services and programmes aimed at transforming the ideas bubbling within our schools and research centres into products that can reach the market and be commercialised.
With the support of U.Porto Innovation, any researcher, staff member or student (current or former) can enjoy personalised assistance at every step of the knowledge transfer chain. These include the communication of a new invention, protecting the rights covering an idea or technology (through a national or international patent), identifying business opportunities, establishing industry contacts, and, finally, marketing and trading of that technology.
Technology transfer is also an essential component in the entrepreneurial ecosystem of U.Porto. As a result of technologies generated at the University, spin-offs have been created with great potential for innovation. At this level, the University engages in various activities in support of entrepreneurship, specifically tailored to its researchers. This is the case of the BIP – Business Ignition Programme, a programme for those who would like to start a business based on technologies developed in academia.
These are the principles underpinning the Intellectual Property Regulation of the University of Porto (RPIUP), created in 2005. With this tool, we seek to provide our inventors with direct access to the benefits that arise from knowledge valorisation, thus boosting the visibility and reputation of the institution within society as well as industry and among businesses.