Social Responsibility in Intellectual Property Licensing: The Lessons of Covid-19 (ESRC Impact Acceleration Account 2022)

Professor Naomi Hawkins together with Dr Alison Slade (University of Leicester) used IAA funding to disseminate findings and to develop and build stakeholder relationships arising from research into Covid-19 vaccine licensing. This project brought together multiple stakeholders to examine the IP licensing of state funded research, and to consider how these voluntary contractual arrangements can be better structured to safeguard the wider public interest.

Building on their expertise in intellectual property (IP), patents and the public interest, Hawkins and Slade worked collaboratively to identify, obtain and systematically review approximately 45 Covid-19 vaccine licences. IAA funding was used to engage key stakeholder groups in this process: transactional law professionals, technology transfer professionals and policymakers.

Workshops were organised for each stakeholder group, providing a platform for feedback from professionals on Covid-19 vaccine procurement practices. Hypothetical scenarios were presented and discussed in order to identify key factors influencing contract formation strategies. A policy brief and journal article have been produced based on the research and workshop findings.

New relationships have been formed with stakeholders such as Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, Wellcome Trust and the UKRI Commercialisation and Impact team. A strong partnership has also been developed with Anderson Law - a leading legal practice specialising in tech transfer and IP. These partnerships will feed into a future funding application to further advance the project. There are also opportunities emerging to work with key stakeholders to provide input on their IP licensing policies.