The Office of Intellectual Property and Commercialization (OIPC) supports the agri-food sector's economic, social and environmental contributions to Canada by converting research efforts into outcomes with real benefits.
The work of the Research Branch at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) generates results such as new technologies, products, designs, methods, processes, plant varieties, germplasm, genetic material, know-how and show-how. The rights in these research results are known as "intellectual property" or "IP."
The OIPC strives to transfer research results from the laboratory to applications in Canada and around the world. Under the broad responsibility for managing intellectual property generated by AAFC's Research Branch, OIPC fulfills several functions, including:
- negotiating and preparing various agreements to facilitate research collaboration - such as collaborative research agreements, confidentiality agreements, material transfer agreements and research support agreements;
- negotiating and preparing licence agreements for AAFC technologies and plant varieties;
- managing knowledge capture, including invention disclosures;
- identifying collaborators;
- developing IP protection strategies;
- preparing IP and business risk assessments;
- managing patents;
- managing copyright, trademarks and official marks;
- obtaining and maintaining protection of AAFC plant varieties under the Plant Breeders' Rights Act;
- obtaining variety registration and seed certification for AAFC crops under the Seeds Act;
- building business relationships with industry;
- marketing AAFC inventions and plant varieties; and
- managing royalty payments on AAFC licences.
Contact us: aafc.oipc-bpic.aac@agr.gc.ca.
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