The document summarizes the intellectual property policy and management at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT). ICRISAT established an Intellectual Property Office in 2002 to provide IP guidance, training, and information sharing to scientists. ICRISAT's research results are considered international public goods and are widely disseminated through publications and its website to benefit farmers, while also establishing these findings as prior art. ICRISAT collaborates with organizations like the European Patent Office to make its publications prior art in their non-patent literature database in accordance with its open access policy.

1. Feb 2014
IMOD
Innovate Grow Prosper
Inclusive Market Oriented Development
International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Patancheru 502 324, Andhra Pradesh, India
Intellectual Property Management at ICRISAT
ICRISAT encourages innovation and knowledge generation in support of its mission.
ICRISAT also disseminates the products of its work to a range of beneficiaries and
the public.
ICRISAT envisions a prosperous, food-secure and resilient dryland tropics.
To achieve this, our mission is to reduce poverty, hunger, malnutrition and
environmental degradation in these tropics. We use an inclusive market-oriented
development or IMOD approach.
The IP office provides essential vision, training,
backstopping and information flow to ICRISAT
scientists with respect to the management of
Intellectual Property.
It also provides a platform for information
dissemination and discussion among beneficiaries.
The IP office is located in the office of DDG-R
and works under the supervision of
Dr CL Laxmipathi Gowda, Deputy Director
General (Research).
Mr B. Hanumanth Rao, Senior Manager, IP and
Mr Onkar Singh, IP Officer execute a program of
work for implementing the Institute’s policy on IP.
IPR Policy
ICRISAT belongs to the Consortium of Centers supported by the Consultative Group on
International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). The results and outputs of their research
and development activities are considered as international public goods, which need
widespread diffusion to achieve the maximum possible impact for the benefit of the
poor, especially farmers in developing countries.
ICRISAT has institutionalized IPR principles through key documents such as Personnel
Policy and Confidentiality Agreements, which state that rights to data and products
belong to ICRISAT. Staff members report and assign to ICRISAT all inventions and
innovations made while working in the organization.
An Intellectual Property (IP) Office was established in the year 2002 at ICRISAT
Headquarters based at Patancheru, India.
Germplasm
Management
ICRISAT, as part of the
International Treaty on Plant
Genetic Resources for Food
and Agriculture (ITPGRFA),
provides facilitated access to
plant genetic resources for the
purposes of research, breeding
and training for food and
agriculture, under the terms of
the Standard Material Transfer
Agreement (SMTA) adopted by
the Governing Body of the Treaty.
Protecting IPRs of ICRISAT’s Research Products
ICRISAT places its research products in the public domain, after making them prior art
to prevent others from infringing on the rights.
ICRISAT publishes its research results as journal articles/papers in recognized
journals that go to main libraries globally. ICRISAT also disseminates them on its
website.
EPO/ICRISAT Collaboration
ICRISAT has successfully initiated a method of making Center publications as prior art
with the European Patent Office (EPO) by signing a Memorandum of Agreement in 2005
in accordance with its policy.
ICRISAT disseminates its publications in EPO’s Non-Patent Literature (NPL) database.
Formalization and Execution of Agreements
Guidelines are in place to formalize and execute all agreements. The Strategic
Marketing and Communication Office is responsible for seeking clearance/comments
from units/staff before recommending them to the Director General, who is authorized to
sign all legal documents.
IP Awareness
The IP Office conducts periodical training and induction programs for staff members at
all ICRISAT locations.
Capacity Building
IPR is included in NARS training programs at ICRISAT. The Senior Manager, IP assisted
in establishing an IP Management Office at the Haryana Agricultural University (HAU),
Hisar, India, in collaboration with CGIAR’s Central Advisory Service (CAS-IP).
Internet page www.icrisat.org
Open Access Policy
ICRISAT adopted the Open Access policy to share and disseminate widely the results of
Institute’s research and development activities.
Scientists submit final edited and accepted versions to Library and the Library uploads
them to the Open Access website. Publisher’s copyright conditions are fully respected.
ICRISAT’s 6th EPMR
Report
…………….. an IPR
policy has been
implemented in
cooperation with other
CGIAR Centers. Within
the limits of expertise
represented on the
EPMR review team,
the Panel believes that
ICRISAT’s IPR policy is
appropriate.
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