Value Innovation:

Case Study 1

Commercial in confidence
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Copyright 2008 County Durham Development Company
Cornerstones of Innovation Report Synopsis
Ideas-Lab was requested by ‘Company 1’ to look at a specific project relating to a new form of
testing technology at prototype stage. ‘1’ further requested Ideas-Lab to formulate a business
strategy surrounding the technology and its intellectual property.

Ideas-Lab took the time to understand the company, employees, technology and its context.
The future of this testing technology in the laboratory is to achieve the closest possible
replication of real conditions in the field to which the products are subjected but at the same
time to accelerate test time over 1million cycles whilst achieving accurate data.

Objective: To create appropriate Intellectual Property and business strategy

Summary of activity:
 Mapped key features
 Identified IP
 Recommend configuration
 Create business strategy and schedule of actions

1. Intellectual Property (IP)

Ideas-Lab conducted a study to identify the core IP. Having broken the potential IP down in
this way, Ideas-Lab then built up the various aspects associated with the technology to create
a route forward to define the greatest commercial value in our opinion. Ideas-Lab also offered
suggestions on how to improve efficiency and strip cost describing possible designs that
would be cheaper to manufacture and appeal to a wider audience with opportunities for
repeat sale items.

2. Division of IP
Ideas-Lab recommended that IP was bundled to define the core aspect of the technology
which is required for any subsequent application including method of attachment as a single
patent and the specific technique including method of attachment tied to the output data as a
second patent. Patent 1 is a separate patent filed in parallel on the same day as Patent 2.
Patent 2 can become divisional at a later date which is provisionally a cost saving exercise
with the intention of maximising the exploitation of Patent 2 once the actual direction becomes
clear. Ideas-Lab described how the combination aspect of the two patents would provide
excellent protection from competition tying down the output data.

3. Business strategy
By separating the IP in this way, part of the technique could be manufactured and sold by ‘1’
or ‘1’ could license the IP to another test facility or third party who could buy in this principle
and attach other test techniques to the product. Ideas-lab created a repeat sale item
opportunity for ‘1’, in that other test facilities could buy into the method of attachment which
had a single test use. Ideas-Lab offered a suggested design with manufacture technique for
this. Opportunities were described to ‘1’ on how to benefit from making the technique become
a standard, or alternatively to sell to competition on a royalty basis or become the only facility
to test product in this way and prevent competition from imitation. A schedule of actions was
then provided regarding next steps including being signposted to the appropriate experts.

Company Outcome: Implementation of ideas-lab strategy

Value: £2million per annum

Commercial in confidence
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Copyright 2008 County Durham Development Company