Theme: intellectual_property
Responsible: DSI / NIPMO / dtic
Medium. Requires IPR-PFRD Act amendment. Industry support strong. Government retention provision is the key negotiating obstacle with the Presidency and NIPMO.
The IPR-PFRD Act (2008), modelled on the US Bayh-Dole Act, governs how IP developed from public R&D funding is commercialised. The National Intellectual Property Management Office (NIPMO) within DSI implements the Act but has been underfunded and understaffed. Key obstacles are mandatory government march-in rights provisions deterring private co-investors, complex disclosure timelines (36 months), and NIPMO's limited capacity for international patent applications. Reform proposals include streamlining the commercialisation timeline to 12 months, removing automatic government retention for non-national-security IP, and co-funding international patent filing through the NRF's IP Fund. A NIPMO Amendment Bill was introduced in Parliament in 2023 but not passed. Industry support for reform is strong; government march-in rights are the political sticking point.
Finland rebuilt its economy after the Nokia-led ICT crash (2012) by diversifying into gaming (Supercell, Rovio), cleantech, and health technology through the Tekes/Business Finland innovation funding agency and university-industry partnerships. R&D spending reached 3.3% of GDP. Business Finland funds 2,500 companies annually with non-dilutive grants of EUR 20,000–2 million linked to commercialisation milestones. Finland ranks #1 globally in university spin-off creation per student. SA's overreliance on extractives presents an analogous diversification imperative; Finland's public-risk private-upside funding model is directly transferable.
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How to cite
Wilse-Samson, L. (2026). IPR-PFRD Act Reform for Faster R&D Commercialisation. SA Policy Space. NYU Wagner School of Public Policy. Retrieved 11 May 2026, from https://sa-policy-space.vercel.app/ideas/ipr-pfrd-act-reform-for-faster-rd-commercialisation?snapshot=2026-05-11
Data as of 2026-05-11 · latest PMG meeting 2026-05-08