NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
FOR WRITTEN REPLY
QUESTION NO 2188
DATE OF PUBLICATION IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 31Â OCTOBER 2014 INTERNAL
QUESTION PAPER NO 23-2014
â2188 Dr A Lotriet (DA) to ask the Minister of Science and Technology:
With regard to the 24 institutions that were not awarded a rebate for
intellectual property prosecution and maintenance costs from the
Intellectual Property Fund, (a) what were the reasons for not awarding
these institutions a rebate, (b) what is the value of each rebate not
awarded and (c) what will be done by her department to ensure that the
National Intellectual Property Management Office is properly funded in the
2014-15 financial year?â
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REPLY:
a) The twenty four (24) institutions that applied, during the 2013-14
financial year for a rebate from the Intellectual Property (IP) Fund
for costs incurred for IP prosecution and maintenance during 2012-13,
were not awarded a rebate during the 2013-14 financial period due to
financial constraints experienced by the National Intellectual Property
Management Office (NIPMO). This obligation was, however, rolled over
into the 2014-15 period (see part (b) below).
b) Guideline 2.2 of 2013 (âGuidelines for Operation of the Intellectual
Property Fundâ) provides for âUP TO fifty percent (50%) of the IP
prosecution and maintenance costs incurred by an institution in the
previous financial period for ALL IP within the institutions IP
portfolio, provided it was generated following a R&D activity conducted
using public funds, subject to funds being made available by National
Treasuryâ.
Following a detailed review, the 24 applying institutions were found to
be eligible for a rebate, which rebate was based on the availability of
funds from National Treasury and determined to be 44.5% of costs
incurred.
c) The Department of Science and Technology has prioritised the sourcing
of funding for the NIPMO. Prioritisation has included the sourcing of
funding internally within the Department through, for example, the
Adjusted Estimates of National Expenditure, and externally through the
submission of a detailed Medium Term Expenditure Framework request (for
the period 2015-16 to 2017-18) to National Treasury.