Innovation

TWI is innovation!

Innovation is vital in today's knowledge driven economy. Ideas influence business in different ways depending on their significance. They range from incremental improvements on known techniques to step-change technologies.

TWI has a track record in the protection and exploitation of its own ideas. This has enabled the creation of core competencies within TWI for the benefit of Members, such as:

• Mature and sophisticated handling of commercially sensitive confidential information
• Management of Intellectual Property Rights
• Safeguarding Members IP assets
• Technology licensing and exploitation

TWI has a rich history of idea generation, invention and innovation, used to assist Members in their innovation activities. TWI can help with:

• Development and introduction of new products and processes
• Optimisation of new techniques
• Protection strategies

TWI supports the creation and development of ideas and uses a stage gate process to manage exploitation. TWI is actively exploiting 9 innovations and has over 150 granted patents in its portfolio. TWI has granted over 200 licences world-wide. Income from licensing exceeded £1.8m in 2008 and grew by 13% over 2007.

All licence royalties are reinvested in TWI for the benefit of the membership as a whole and fund the development of new ideas. An internal research committee inspires, monitors and directs TWI's creative activities and a stage gate procedure is employed to manage the process.

TWI is also active in the field of Open Innovation with other RTOs and Members where the organisations work together to find the best exploitation routes for an idea. This work includes building trust and underlying commercial arrangements with potential collaborators, understanding the key needs of particular clients and developing IP assets to meet these needs.

For further information, please contact mipr@twi.co.uk