Inria Evaluation Committee

Criteria for self-assessment for technological and

industrial transfer activities
Prepared by Laure-At-Ali, Alain Girault, Maxence Guesdon, Valerie Issarny, Nathalie Mitton,
Valerie Sultana, Olivier Trebucq (author), Xavier Vigouroux, Paul Zimmermann.

Approved by the Inria Evaluation Committee on January 21st, 2016.

1 Introduction
In the context of evaluation process and exams, this document aims at bringing support to researchers in
the selection and description of the transfer actions they achieved, and to highlight the economic and social
impact they have had. Although being diversified, transfer actions have specific characteristics. They can
be subdivided into three types.

Transfer of technologies (software code, components, systems, platforms, patents, ...):

creation of a startup based on research achievements;
implementation of a common Innovation Lab with an SME with a view to industrialize a
research achievement;
transfer of a software or a patent for future industrial and/or societal exploitation;
Open-Source software, platforms, systems: establishment and animation of an industrial consor-
tium and/or of a community of contributors and users;
involvement and active participation in standardization initiatives.
Transfer of knowledge (partnerships):
bilateral research partnership with industries, either on a go with the flow way or through a
strategic Joint Lab with major industrial companies;
multilateral research partnership with industries in the context of call for proposals (e.g., ANR,
H2020, FUI, PIA).
Transfer of skills (mobility of the researcher, display of expertise, technology intelligence, ...):
secondment or procurement to companies of a researcher for promoting the expertise she/he
gained during research studies;
participation as an expert to research councils of industrial companies;
consultancy services, technical assistance, technology intelligence provided to external companies
or organizations;
training sessions for employees of external companies or organizations.

1
2 Criteria for self-assessment
2.1 What kind of action are/were you involved in? Was it a punctual action or
recurrent?
Examples: transfer of knowledge or technology (outside the academic community) through one of the fol-
lowing: (a) development of software used outside the scientific community1 , (b) patent issued and followed
by an industrial and commercial exploitation, (c) a startup company, (d) assistance for startup creation,
(e) standardization.

2.2 Under what conditions, in what framework was the action done?
Examples: consulting (give the company names and whether or not this was done via a contract between
your employer and the company, a private individual contract, etc.), participation in a multi-partner in-
dustrial research project (give the type of contract, bilateral or collaborative), supervision of PhD students,
postdoctoral fellows, or engineers (give the type of contract), technological transfer contract leading to a
license on software or an issued patent.

2.3 Who are the targeted end users? Who were your interlocutors?
Researchers from an industrial lab, R&D engineers, engineers from a production unit, ...

2.4 What were the major steps? What was your involvement?
Indicate whether you initiated the action, the steps between the first contact and the transfer, the duration
between these two events. Was it difficult to convince your interlocutors to engage in this action? Did you
implement prototypes or benchmarks?

2.5 From your viewpoint, have you reached your objective? What is the real
impact?
Assess the strengths and weaknesses of the action. Try to assess the real impact (giving objective information
and not just measuring your activity). If you have a patent, indicate who exploits this patent. In the case of
open source software, describe the business model and governance that ensure the softwares sustainability,
give objective information on the development and on its non-academic use, etc. For a standardization
action, has it led to a standard based on your input? If the action is related to the hospital or health-care
environment, specify if your action required the setup of a CPP2 (committee for the protection of persons)
or a project accepted in the PHRC (the French health ministers program for hospitals clinical research).
Also mention if your action has led to any specific labeling by the EC or the FDA, ...

2.6 Other items or issues that you wish to mention

1A detailed description of the software should be given in the software part of the application file.