• Summary
• Contents
• FIGs & TABs
• Sample
• ORDER

3.Intellectual Property (IP) protection

IP protection of R&D projects

Low number of analyzed R&D projects is protected with patent applications (22.2%) and rate of applications per project is also not high (0.31). However, around twice as much projects are planned to be protected in the near future (next few years) - 50.6%. Moreover, number of pending applications per project is going to raise three times (0.91).

Level of IP protection of projects with pending and planned patents, separately and together. Percentage of protected projects in entire sample of 81 R&D projects and average protection per project. For some projects both IP protection modes apply simultaneously, and only those are shown in the group of IP protected projects where planned and pending applications are totaled.

Along with progressing start year of projects (2006 until 2008) the number of projects protected with either pending patent application or planned patent is increasing (56% to 76%). The same growing tendency is observed regarding the ratio of overall IP protection (sum of planned and pending patents) per project (0.8 to 1.8). Thus, increasing understanding of patenting significance is already visible.