The aim of this Study is to provide support to the development and implementation of commitment 21 of the Innovation Union, which addresses collaboration and knowledge transfers. The Study comprises three main tasks:

• Task 1: Based on an update and extension of the earlier report on the existing legal regimes on technology transfer in the Member States, investigate the need for, options for and feasibility of an EU policy measure on knowledge transfer.
• Task 2: Based on an analysis of existing model agreements for the transfer of knowledge from higher education institutes performing research and public research organisation to the business sector, and with the assistance of key stakeholders, prepare a set of model agreements which can be used by participants in EU research and innovation funding programmes and beyond; and
• Task 3: Propose measures to strengthen partnerships between academia and business by developing networks and platforms fostering inter alia cooperation between knowledge transfer offices in specific technology sectors and by synthesizing the current discussion about intellectual property markets in Europe.

empirica carries out this study in cooperation with DLA Piper, an international law firm. empirica is in charge of Task 3.