# If You're Not Thinking About Intellectual Property, You’re Not Thinking About Impact

## TL;DR

This paper discusses how considering intellectual property is crucial for turning engineering biology research into real-world impact and commercial success.

## Contribution

The paper provides insights into the importance of IP awareness and highlights current commercialization trends in engineering biology.

## Key findings

- Engineering biology research needs to be commercialized to reach real-world applications.
- Patent analytics reveal innovation trends in engineering biology across various sectors.
- Academic researchers should consider IP strategies to ensure their work has impact beyond publication.

## Abstract

Many of us went into research to do something good—to cure cancer or to save the world—and in engineering biology, we really are doing that, solving some of the world's most pressing problems, from plastic degradation to chemical manufacture to built‐environment solutions to next‐gen therapeutics. Or, as academics, we think we are doing these things. We do the research. We publish the research. Job done. But are we actually having the impact we set out to have? Or is your next big (or small) publication one of the reasons your invention never makes it to market? This short article will help you see your research in the context of real‐world innovation and give you an insight into what it takes to turn that academic work into something we can hold and use. We will look at some fundamentals of patents and what you, as scientists, should be aware of. We will then look at innovation trends in engineering biology across a range of sectors—what are the hot fields in engineering biology commercialisation and what can we use this information for. If you’re not thinking about IP, you’re not thinking about impact.

Engineering biology needs to be commercialised to get out of the lab and into the hands of us all. The article sets out key points that scientists should know about IP, then dives into innovation trends in engineering biology through in‐depth patent analytics.