New guidelines for start-ups at EPFL

© 2022 Aurelie Schick / EPFL

© 2022 Aurelie Schick / EPFL

The guidelines aim at presenting to future start-up founders the rules and practices that EPFL has put in place over years regarding the creation and development of start-ups at EPFL. 

EPFL builds and supports the companies, people, and technology that will change the way the society works for the better. Whether it’s through the knowledge and skills of our graduates and researchers, our collaboration with industry, or our licensing of disruptive technologies, EPFL helps turn promising ideas into new products and services.

To facilitate the journey of future start-up founders, the Technology Transfer Office (TTO) together with the Startup Unit put at their disposal this document - EPFL Guidelines to startups - summarizing the rules and practices that EPFL has put in place, based on several years of experience, regarding the creation and development of start-ups at EPFL.

From licensing conditions to the use of EPFL name and resources and questions of collaboration between start-ups and EPFL, all elements to be considered are included in this document.

The document is very useful. It covers many important aspects, which are not obvious for the start-up founders. I wish I had it when I launched my start-up! The guidelines bring clarity about the license conditions. They are nicely explained, including the rationale behind the rules

Danuta Cichocka, CEO and Founder of Resistell

The guideline is clear and concise and contains all the important information an EPFL entrepreneur must know. I am sure that this document will be of value to the entire start-up community. For the investors, the EPFL brand gives a lot of credibility, as it is associated to long-term value and risk-reduction. The transparency provided by these guidelines is an additional and important piece to the EPFL start-up ecosystem

Nicolas Durand, CEO and Founder of Abionic

References

The Startup Unit of the Vice Presidency for Innovation (VPI) offers funding, support, and a thriving community of passionate partners to EPFL entrepreneurs helping them build the startups of tomorrow.

The Technology Transfer Office (TTO) of the Associate Vice-Presidency for Research (AVP-R) manages the intellectual property created by EPFL employees and promotes its transfer to start-ups. The TTO is responsible for licensing EPFL intellectual property and provides guidance and support for setting-up the collaboration agreements with the start-ups.