IP portfolio and protection strategy (Deliverable R22)

This deliverable defines a project-proportionate framework for building and managing an intellectual property (IP) portfolio arising from the project, in line with Activity 3 “Acquiring, approval and defence of technology rights (intangible assets)”. It sets formal boundary conditions: the strategy applies only to project foreground results and considers background IP only where it is necessary for implementation through access or licensing arrangements. The document is not a legal opinion and does not create commitments to file, grant, license, or enforce any specific IP title; instead, it specifies auditable procedures and decision routes consistent with public funding and state aid constraints. The strategy structures project results into portfolio families relevant to protection and governance, covering peat extraction-based chemical products and processing routes, thermal processing and valorisation pathways, material and biocomposite development, insulation boards/panels and related processes, substrate innovations, analytical and methodological packages, and digital outputs such as models, software, databases and structured datasets. Governance responsibilities are aligned with the project management model: SILAVA coordinates Activity 3 and IP audits, scientific screening is embedded in the scientific coordination structure, and cross-partner or high-impact decisions are escalated through the steering pathway and formalised via the cooperation agreement. A central element is a periodic IP audit workflow that captures candidate results, screens them for protectability, and triages them into suitable protection modalities. Assessment criteria follow the application: market-demand relevance as contextual evidence, patentability criteria (novelty, inventive step, industrial applicability), and freedom-to-operate screening to mitigate infringement risks, combined with timing rules to prevent premature disclosure. Protection options include national patenting supported by consultations with competent authorities and patent attorneys, as well as industrial designs, utility models, trademarks, and trade secret/know-how management where disclosure is not proportionate. To ensure traceability, the document establishes a central portfolio registry architecture and minimum metadata fields, supported by annexed templates: an IP register, invention disclosure form, and release-clearance checklist. A dedicated chapter reconciles IP protection with Open Science commitments by classifying digital assets and data as open, controlled, or restricted, applying GDPR-compliant access control and enabling FAIR-aligned deposition (including DOI assignment) for non-sensitive outputs. Finally, the strategy defines a proportional enforcement and dispute-management framework (monitoring, graduated response options) and clarifies interfaces with related Activity 3 reporting packages on registrations, licensing/contracts, and valuation/risk assessment.