Dissemination, exploitation, use: protection of results

New knowledge and property rights have to be protected in an appropriate manner for industrial and/or commercial exploitation.

Dissemination measures need to be aligned with the intellectual property rights and further interests of the owner. Prior to every measure taken all other participants have to be notified. All publications and patent applications have to include an indication on the funding received from the European Union. Before the publication, there is no need to inform the Commission.

If a project participant decides not to protect their results appropriately the Commission needs to be informed. The Commission may, on behalf of the EU and in accordance with the participant, assume ownership of the results and take appropriate protection measures.

Projects having the potential to solve important societal challenges may be subject to further obligations to be determined in the grant agreement, e.g. the prohibition of awarding exclusive licences. These further obligations will already be announced in the work programme. Furthermore, several forms of funding, such as prices or pre-commercial procurement, may require a specific policy concerning the protection of results.