"We transform research results into a business model"
Beat Weibel has been head of the ETH transfer unit since June 2025. In this interview, he reveals what brought him to ETH and where he sees opportunities in the commercialisation of research results.
You have been head of ETH transfer for a good six months now and are therefore responsible for the commercialisation of research results. What attracted you to this position?
There were two reasons. I'll start with the family one: when I took up a position at Siemens in Munich in 2013, my family stayed in Switzerland, so I was commuting every week. As the children gradually moved out, my wife was also alone during the week – in Zurich. As she works as a secondary school teacher, it was clear that I had to make a change if our situation was to change. As a former lecturer in continuing education, I had connections to ETH, which is how I found out about the position.
And what was the second reason?
That lies in the task of ETH transfer, namely to exploit research results. In a first step, we protect the results through intellectual property rights, and then in a second step we either license or sell them, or transfer them to spin-offs. I had already worked in technology transfer at Siemens and really enjoyed putting patents into practice. In an industrial company, however, only a small percentage of research results are exploited. At a university, where research and teaching are complemented by this very transfer, this task naturally has a completely different significance.
Beat Weibel has been head of ETH transfer since June 2025 and also works 20% as Professor of Practice at D-GESS. He studied electrical engineering at ETH Zurich and then did an internship as a patent attorney at ABB. In 1995, he was admitted as a European patent attorney and in 2008 completed a degree in European IP law. From 1998 to 2000, he headed the Corporate IP department at Georg Fischer AG and from 2000 to 2007 the IP department at ABB Switzerland. He then spent five years as Chief IP Counsel at ABB Ltd. before moving to Munich in 2013 to take over as head of the global Intellectual Property department at Siemens AG. Beat Weibel has also been a lecturer in patent law at various universities for many years and teaches preparatory courses for the Swiss patent attorney examination.
Have your expectations been met so far?
Absolutely. The topics are extremely exciting and the people we work with are highly intelligent. I was somewhat surprised by the breadth of technologies, which range from quantum physics to biotechnology to agriculture. To be honest, I understand at most fifty percent of all the inventions we deal with. But that's exactly what makes it so appealing.
How would you describe the role of ETH transfer?
We have been mandated by law to commercially exploit research results. To do this, we need partners, because, as is well known, ETH is not a private company. In order to work with them, we first have to make the results legally manageable, for example by means of patents. We can then license these or incorporate them into spin-offs. In less technical terms, we turn inventions into innovations. This means we transform research results into a business model. We enjoy a great deal of freedom in doing so.
“?In the future, I would like to work with my group to approach researchers more actively in order to identify commercially viable ideas together with them.”Beat Weibel
How does the collaboration with researchers work in practice?
It varies greatly. Some come to us with clear ideas for commercialisation, while others have less concrete ideas. This is a challenge because we have to protect research results before they are published. In the future, I would like to work with my group to approach researchers more actively in order to identify commercially viable ideas together with them. Our technology managers need time for this. We are currently building up resources so that they can network more closely with the research groups.
Is the expansion of staff numbers linked to the expectation that you will generate more revenue on the commercialisation side?
The school management has not given me any specific targets in terms of revenue. However, I am convinced that we can improve in terms of quality. Technology managers play an important bridging role between researchers and patent attorneys. It is essential that a patent protects the right thing. The aim is to work with researchers to identify the technologically relevant unique selling propositions. These form the basis for a successful spin-off. After all, many start-ups have to change their business model due to market conditions. Ideally, the protection should then also cover the new business model. One example of this is the company Verity, which started out with drone shows. The drones are now used in warehouses.
Are there any other changes you would like to initiate?
I would like to lay the groundwork for ensuring that we can guarantee the protection of certain patents for longer. Currently, ETH Zurich usually drops its patents after thirty months if they have not been exploited by then. However, this is not suitable for technologies with longer-term horizons, such as quantum computing or pharmaceuticals. I would like to finance the longer protection with a portion of our patent revenues. Patenting is an investment.
How are the rights between ETH, researchers and students regulated?
Anyone employed by ETH assigns their rights, but receives a one-third share of the proceeds from exploitation. Inventions made by students generally belong to them, as long as they are not employed or working on industrial projects. This system creates incentives and is fair.
In addition to your role as head of ETH transfer, you also teach as a Professor of Practice. What is your teaching about?
Starting this spring semester, I will be offering a block course for doctoral students on the basics of intellectual property law and its strategic use in spin-off start-ups. My aim is to raise awareness early on of how to protect and strategically exploit ideas. This complements our work at ETH transfer perfectly.
ETH transfer – IP & Licensing protects intellectual property and negotiates licence agreements with third parties. Every year, ETH Zurich's research groups submit between 130 and 150 applications for patent protection. Around two-thirds of these lead to a patent application, with half of the inventions originating from collaborations with industry partners and being registered by them. ETH transfer patents around 40 to 50 research results per year.
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