Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the new Academic Health Science Networks contract with NHS England includes responsibility for identification, protection and exploitation of intellectual property support for local NHS organisations.

Although Academic Health Science Networks (AHSNs) may offer support to National Health Service organisations in identification, protection and exploitation of intellectual property, it is not an explicit requirement of the contract that they do so.

AHSNs are responsible for identifying local priorities for driving patient-based research, improvement pathway, inward investment and life science income based upon local need and by drawing upon local opportunities, resources and expertise within their networks. It is for AHSNs to determine how they can best deliver upon these objectives.