Maximizing global accessibility and impact
The CGIAR Principles on the Management of Intellectual Assets allow for two types of agreements which, although they place restrictions on global access, can be important to achieve impact for our target beneficiaries and further the CGIAR strategy. Please see our annual Intellectual Assets Reports for full details on how the CGIAR System uses intellectual assets to achieve impact.
CGIAR regards the results of its research and development activities as international public goods and is committed to their widespread diffusion and use to achieve the maximum possible access, scale, scope of impact and sharing of benefits to advantage the poor, especially farmers in developing countries.
All Intellectual Assets produced or acquired by the System Organization and/or the Centers shall be managed in ways that maximize their global accessibility and/or ensure that they lead to the broadest possible impact on target beneficiaries in furtherance of CGIAR Vision. At times, CGIAR Research Centers may need to make semi-exclusive arrangements with respect to the management/use of IAs in order to create incentives for other organizations to take active roles in further developing those assets or making them available to farmers through market mechanisms.
Restricted Use Agreements
Accessing and using third party Intellectual Assets is essential to conduct the best research in furtherance of the CGIAR strategy. When providing such access and use, third parties may sometimes impose downstream restrictions on the global accessibility of the resulting intellectual assets (such as exclusivity, confidentiality, etc.). In certain cases, and under certain conditions Centers may deem it appropriate to enter into such agreements known as ‘Restricted Use Agreements’. For full details of conditions and examples of use refer to the CGIAR IA Principles, and the accompanying guidelines.
Limited Exclusivity Agreements
Centers may grant limited exclusivity for commercialization of their intellectual assets under certain conditions. These conditions include that the exclusivity must be as limited as possible in terms of duration and territory, and that such a restriction to access is necessary to enhance the impact for target beneficiaries. These kinds of agreements are referred to as ‘Limited Exclusivity Agreements’. For full details of conditions and examples of use refer to the CGIAR IA Principles, and the accompanying guidelines.
Patents and Plant Variety Protection
CGIAR Centers are required to carefully consider whether to register/apply for (or allow third parties to register/apply for) patents and/or plant variety protection over the CGIAR Centers’ respective intellectual assets. As a general rule, such applications will not be made unless they are necessary for the further improvement of the intellectual assets or to enhance the scale or scope of impact on target beneficiaries, in furtherance of the CGIAR Vision. For full details of conditions and examples of use refer to the CGIAR IA Principles, and the accompanying guidelines.
Other relevant IA related documents
- Implementation Guidelines – For the CGIAR IA Principles on the Management of Intellectual Assets
- Examples of restrictions to global access to maximize impact
- Explanatory note on the CGIAR IA Report
- The Intersection of Public Goods, Intellectual Property Rights, and Partnerships: Maximizing Impact for the Poor
- IP Management to Facilitate Sustained Impact of CRP Research
