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Business: Grants

Asked by Martin WrigleyLiberal DemocratDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled Answered 7 March 2025UIN 34063

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the transfer of intellectual property for projects for which a catapult grant has been awarded to that catapult grant on (a) small businesses, (b) start-up businesses and (c) entrepreneurs.

Answered by Feryal Clark

The intellectual property (IP) associated with any grants from Innovate UK is owned by the project participants. The sharing of IP between project participants in a collaborative R&D project is established through a collaboration agreement for that consortium. Innovate UK does not dictate the terms of those collaboration agreements. When a Catapult, which are set up as private businesses, is one of the collaborators they are subject to the same approach. Agreement would be reached across the consortium, and while a Catapult might take an IP stake it would only do so where this supported delivery of its strategic objectives to support innovation and the translation of R&D.

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