Intellectual Property & Digital Assets
In today’s economy, value lies increasingly in ideas, data and technology rather than physical assets.
From patents and copyright to data, brands and digital assets, the Centre explores how intellectual property shapes innovation and value creation.
Strategic Leadership in the Intangible Economy
Intellectual property and digital assets are increasingly central to competitiveness, economic growth, and technological leadership. As artificial intelligence, data-driven innovation, and digital platforms reshape markets, organisations must understand how to manage, govern, and strategically deploy these assets.
Big Innovation Centre provides independent strategic insight and thought leadership on intellectual property and digital assets. Drawing on expertise from academia, industry, and policy communities, we help organisations and governments understand how evolving IP regimes, data governance, and digital asset strategies influence innovation and long-term value creation.
Our work focuses on the strategic management of knowledge, data, and intellectual property in the digital economy, including the implications of artificial intelligence, emerging technologies, and global regulatory change.
Intellectual Property Strategy for Business, Policy and Universities.
(Led by our CEO, Professor Birgitte Andersen)
Strategic Management of Intellectual Property
Strategic approaches to managing intellectual property as a driver of innovation, competitiveness, and long-term value creation. This includes the role of patents, copyright, trade secrets, and licensing strategies in supporting technological development, collaboration, and market positioning.
University Technology Transfer and Knowledge Exchange
The strategic use of intellectual property to support technology transfer, spinouts and research commercialisation in tech hubs and science parks. This includes IP and knowledge-sharing models for effective public–private collaboration, governance of public sector IP, and mechanisms that enable knowledge circulation and spillovers.
Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Intellectual Property
The impact of artificial intelligence on intellectual property systems in reshaping IP systems and the governance of knowledge, including AI-generated works, the use of copyrighted material in training datasets, and evolving legal and policy responses.
The Economics of Intangible Assets
The role of intangible assets – such as intellectual property, data, brands and organisational knowledge – as drivers of productivity, innovation, ethical frameworks and growth. This work supports international organisations such as WIPO, OECD and the EU, as well as national governments, in developing governance frameworks for knowledge-based economies.
Legal and Regulatory Expertise in Digital Innovation
(Led by our Innovation Fellow, Barrister Flavia Kenyon)
Cybersecurity and Digital Infrastructure Governance
Legal and governance frameworks addressing cybercrime, ransomware, data breaches, and digital infrastructure risks. This includes regulatory responses to cybersecurity threats, institutional approaches to protecting digital systems and critical data infrastructures, and strategies for strengthening organisational resilience and trust in digital environments.
Data Governance, Privacy and Digital Rights
Regulatory frameworks governing data protection, privacy, and cross-border data flows. This area explores evolving approaches to GDPR compliance, responsible data governance, and the intersection between digital technologies and human rights, including questions surrounding data access, accountability, and ethical use of digital information.
Artificial Intelligence and Algorithmic Governance
Legal and regulatory developments shaping the deployment of artificial intelligence and automated decision systems. This work examines issues such as algorithmic accountability, transparency, and emerging governance models for AI systems, including regulatory approaches that balance innovation with responsible and trustworthy AI deployment.
Blockchain, Web3 and Digital Asset Regulation
Governance challenges associated with distributed ledger technologies, digital currencies, and decentralised systems. This includes regulatory developments relating to blockchain technologies, decentralised finance (DeFi), tokenised assets, NFTs, and emerging digital economies, as well as legal and institutional frameworks shaping the future of digital ownership.
Strategic Engagement
The Big Innovation Centre engages with senior leaders through high-level strategic dialogue and collaborative research.
Intellectual Leadership
Big Innovation Centre’s work on intellectual property and the intangible economy is led by its CEO, Professor Birgitte Andersen, a globally recognised expert in the economics and strategic management of intellectual property and innovation. She has led several EU Framework Programme projects on intellectual property and has contributed expertise to international organisations including the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and World Intellectual Property Organization (OECD), as well as national governments such as the UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO). Professor Andersen has also served as an expert witness in intellectual property cases and has advised multinational firms on IP strategy. She has taught the economics and strategic management of intellectual property at the University of London for over two decades.
Prof. Birgitte Andersen
CEO
Big Innovation Centre
Legal Expertise
Barrister Flavia Kenyon is specialising in emerging technology law and contributes legal and regulatory expertise to the Big Innovation Centre’s work on digital innovation and governance. Her expertise spans areas including cybercrime, blockchain technologies, artificial intelligence, and data protection. Flavia has contributed to government and parliamentary consultations across multiple jurisdictions and works at the intersection of law, technology, and policy, with a focus on developing governance frameworks that support responsible and innovative digital transformation.
Barrister Flavia Kenyon
Legal Expert
Big Innovation Centre
Strategic Engagement
Closed-door discussions bringing together executives, policymakers, investors, and leading researchers to explore emerging issues in intellectual property and digital assets.
Confidential executive briefings and discussions on the strategic implications of intellectual property, AI, and digital assets.
Collaborative research exploring frontier issues such as AI governance, digital asset strategy, and the evolution of intellectual property systems.
High-level briefings for boards and leadership teams on the strategic management of intellectual property and digital assets.
Programme Impact and Engagement
Big Innovation Centre works closely with organisations across government, industry, and international institutions to advance understanding of intellectual property, digital assets, and innovation governance. This work has contributed to initiatives involving organisations such as the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the European Commission (EC) and national governments, as well as universities, research institutes, and innovation ecosystems. Through research collaboration, leadership forums, and policy dialogue, the Centre supports the development of strategies and governance frameworks for the evolving intangible and digital economy.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
IP reporting helps demonstrate the value of your intangible assets, supports investment readiness, informs strategic decisions, and enhances transparency in annual reports or innovation metrics.
Yes. Effective IP management helps start-ups identify their key assets, protect innovations, attract investment, gain competitive advantage and revenue, and avoid legal risks as they grow.
Intellectual property (IP) refers to a variety of intangible assets that all organisations possess—often without fully recognising them. These include copyright, patents, trade marks, industrial designs, trade secrets, open source/creative commons licences, traditional knowledge, non-disclosure agreements (NDAs), public domain assets, data, and other forms of IP. These are highly valuable assets that can significantly contribute to an organisation’s competitiveness and growth.Accordion Content
An IP strategy is a plan for managing and using your intellectual property to support your business goals. Yes, if your organisation creates, uses, or relies on ideas, innovations, or branding, an IP strategy is essential.
IP plays a central role in tech transfer by identifying key assets, protecting innovations, enabling licensing, and attracting commercial partners for spin-outs or franchising. It also facilitates the movement of research from the lab to the market.
IP can enhance your organisation’s market position, support revenue generation through licensing or partnerships, attract investment, strengthen your brand, and protect your competitive advantage. Properly managed, IP is a strategic asset that contributes to long-term growth and innovation.
Engage with Us
We welcome engagement with organisations, policymakers, universities, and investors interested in intellectual property, digital assets, and innovation governance. If you are interested in collaboration, research partnerships, executive briefings, or strategic dialogue, please get in touch.
Inquiries
partnerships@biginnovationcentre.com
Contact
https://biginnovationcentre.com/contact-us/
