The Stazione Zoologica, through its Grant and Innovation Office, promotes the use, commercial development and exploitation of industrial property rights resulting from research results. It holds several industrial property rights, of which the patent portfolio is structured with titles (exclusively owned or jointly owned with other internationally prestigious research institutions) that are also European and international in scope.
A patent is a title by which the owner has a temporary monopoly of exploitation of the protected invention and prevents others from producing, selling or using the invention without authorisation. In order to be patented, an invention must, however, meet at least 3 basic requirements:
- Novelty
- Originality
- Industrial applicability
SZN has an Industrial Property Regulation implementing the changes introduced by Law No. 102 of July 24, 2023 "Amendments to the Industrial Property Code, referred to in Legislative Decree No. 30 of February 10, 2005" available at the following link: REGULATION
The list of documents on the topics of Protection and Exploitation of Research Results and the templates to be filled out to file a new patent application is in the following:
01. Patent filing request form
02. Disclosure of invention
03. Non Disclosure Agreement - NDA
04. Material and Data Transfer Agreement - MTDA
05. Agreement of joint ownership of Patent
All mentioned documents are available, in Italian and English version, at the following link: FORMS
Below are the Zoological Station's currently filed patents:
The patented invention consists of a modulable RGB LED lighting system for aquatic photosynthetic organisms, capable of reproducing any natural light in aquatic ecosystems, accelerating and increasing the production of algal biomass and the molecules that can be extracted from it.
The patented invention consists of a breeding method and a specific feed composition to maximise the production of natural Astaxanthin from sea urchins, to be used as a nutraceutical.
The invention consists of a computerised automated system of apparatuses capable of reducing the cost of rearing aquatic invertebrates and a corresponding process for growing cultures of organisms in an aquatic environment.
The invention consists of a small device with autonomous operation capable of remotely measuring the temperature profile of the hydrogeological mantle thickness in all those areas where there is a need for multi-sensor profile detection in ice, snow and/or water, at high frequency, in adverse geological situations and at different depths.
The invention consists of a grafting technique to induce pearl production in edible bivalves, with zero mortality rates of the animal and zero rejection rates of the grafted nucleus.
The invention, based on the analysis of gene expression and the processing of the data obtained and their use in laboratory and clinical research, consists of an in vitro and ex vivo method that can monitor and predict cell response under many experimental conditions.
The invention consists of a technique for the reforestation of seagrass meadows, specifically seagrass beds of Posidonia oceanica, compromised by anthropogenic impacts.
The invention concerns the use of Ovothiols which have a protective effect on endothelial cultures obtained from umbilical cords of women suffering from gestational diabetes.
The invention concerns the use of natural molecules of marine origin as inhibitors of the activity of the enzyme GGT, the cause of the kidney, liver and lung diseases.
The invention consists of an environmentally sustainable protocol that uses the genetic engineering of the diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum to stimulate the production of methylated 5-thiohistidines - and in particular Ovothiol B, one of the most powerful natural antioxidants. The use of P. tricornutum cultures accomplishes high productivity and allows easy scale-up of upstream and downstream processes.
