February 2018

A new research project led by Marcus Holgersson and executed by Jacob Moos and Pontus Lundbladh in the Innovation and Intellectual Property research group explores how digitalization is affected by and affecting firms’ IP strategies. As digital technologies are increasingly embedded in products, processes and business models, large, industrial firms are faced with new IP strategy challenges. These include but are not restricted to how to manage new types of IP, such as data and software, and the related IP rights, how to design new IP-based business models when technologies and industries converge, and how to manage new sources of tension between collaborators and competitors.

The research is based on interviews with managers in some of the leading and most innovative industrial firms in the Nordics. It is a part of the larger project Intellectual property management in digitalizing businesses at Chalmers University of Technology which is supported by Vinnova, PRV, and the Swedish Ministry of Enterprise and Innovation.

– Digitalization is related to opportunities as well as challenges for any firm and for many functions within the firm. To reach its full potential, the IP strategy and IP function needs to enable and support the digitalization process.

If you are interested in the topic and want to contribute with your viewpoints and experience, please reach out to the group:

E-mail: moos@student.chalmers.se

Telephone: +46700711519

A new bachelor thesis project supervised by Marcus Holgersson in the innovation and intellectual property research group explores how firms in the pharmaceutical industry strategically balance the availability of their products to those who need it, especially in developing countries, with the profitability in order to cover R&D investments. The group is driven by a curiosity in how technological, societal, and financial goals, opportunities, and challenges can be matched. The project will be based on interview data as well as secondary data, with the aim of exploring what kind of strategies there currently are, what the challenges with them are, and how firms, organizations, and the society at large can change in order to better combine availability with profitability.

The group consists of Carl Ahlstrand, Jonathan Boman, Arvid Hanson, Christoffer Lindgren, Sara Locher, and Annie Milde from the Industrial Engineering and Management program at Chalmers University of Technology:

– We really look forward to discussing this fascinating and difficult question with representatives of pharmaceutical companies, as well as researchers or representatives from organizations active in the field.

If you are interested in the topic and want to contribute with your viewpoints and experience, please reach out to the group: jboman@student.chalmers.se