TechChampions Launches Express Terms Initiative to Accelerate Dutch Spin-Out Success
The Netherlands is among the world’s leading countries in scientific research. Yet there remains significant untapped potential when it comes to translating that excellence into successful spin-outs, societal impact, and economic value.
In the coalition agreement, the Dutch government set out a clear ambition: the Netherlands should have the best deal terms for knowledge-intensive spin-outs in the Western world.
TechChampions Launches
Express Terms Initiative to
Accelerate Dutch Spin-Out Success
The Netherlands is among the world’s leading countries in scientific research. Yet there remains significant untapped potential when it comes to translating that excellence into successful spin-outs, societal impact, and economic value.
In the coalition agreement, the Dutch government set out a clear ambition: the Netherlands should have the best deal terms for knowledge-intensive spin-outs in the Western world.
For TechChampions — a group of leading Dutch deep-tech entrepreneurs representing the key technologies of the National Technology Strategy — this raised a natural question:
What do the best deal terms in the Western world actually look like?
To answer that question, TechChampions initiated an extensive international benchmark study, generously conducted by INGEN HOUSZ.
The study compares leading innovation ecosystems, including ETH Zürich, Oxford, KU Leuven, DTU and TUM. It examines how these universities approach spin-outs, intellectual property, licensing structures and the standardisation of deal terms.
One of the key findings is that many of Europe’s most successful innovation ecosystems complement their regular licensing frameworks with standardised Express Terms. These pre-defined terms create greater predictability for founders, investors and universities, reduce unnecessary friction, and allow more time and energy to be spent on building companies rather than negotiating agreements.
Based on this benchmark, TechChampions proposes exploring a Dutch pilot inspired by proven international models such as ETH Zürich, while adapting the approach to the specific characteristics of the Dutch ecosystem.
Importantly, this proposal is not intended to replace the recently introduced IP DealTerms 2.0. Rather, it is designed as an additional route for suitable early-stage spin-outs.
TechChampions invites universities, Knowledge Transfer Offices, founders, investors and policymakers to contribute their experience and perspectives as the proposal develops further.
The goal is explicitly not to copy a foreign model unchanged, but to build on approaches that have already proven successful elsewhere. In other words: not a different destination, but a different starting point for the discussion.
For TechChampions — a group of leading Dutch deep-tech entrepreneurs representing the key technologies of the National Technology Strategy — this raised a natural question:
What do the best deal terms in the Western world actually look like?
To answer that question, TechChampions initiated an extensive international benchmark study, generously conducted by INGEN HOUSZ.
The study compares leading innovation ecosystems, including ETH Zürich, Oxford, KU Leuven, DTU and TUM. It examines how these universities approach spin-outs, intellectual property, licensing structures and the standardisation of deal terms.
One of the key findings is that many of Europe’s most successful innovation ecosystems complement their regular licensing frameworks with standardised Express Terms. These pre-defined terms create greater predictability for founders, investors and universities, reduce unnecessary friction, and allow more time and energy to be spent on building companies rather than negotiating agreements.
Based on this benchmark, TechChampions proposes exploring a Dutch pilot inspired by proven international models such as ETH Zürich, while adapting the approach to the specific characteristics of the Dutch ecosystem.
Importantly, this proposal is not intended to replace the recently introduced IP DealTerms 2.0. Rather, it is designed as an additional route for suitable early-stage spin-outs.
TechChampions invites universities, Knowledge Transfer Offices, founders, investors and policymakers to contribute their experience and perspectives as the proposal develops further.
The goal is explicitly not to copy a foreign model unchanged, but to build on approaches that have already proven successful elsewhere. In other words: not a different destination, but a different starting point for the discussion.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
TechChampions would like to express its sincere appreciation to INGEN HOUSZ for conducting this extensive international benchmark study with great dedication, expertise and commitment. Their unique perspective across universities, founders and investors has helped establish a fact-based foundation for this discussion.
Download the Report.
The full benchmark report can be downloaded here.
INGEN HOUSZ
For future updates, developments and related publications,
please visit the INGEN HOUSZ website.
Powered by:
