What is the aim of Impact Licensing Initiative?
We live in times of rapid technological ( r )evolutions. The challenge is to embed these developments into communities and society in a way that fosters aliveness, not in a way that reduces human beings to data points. At ILI, we want technology to serve humanity and the planet. And that goes beyond simply using technology; it’s about creating new ways of working together, fostering collaborative learning, and rethinking how intellectual property rights contribute to societal value.
You say that many technologies that would promote sustainable development are not yet being sufficiently used. Can you give us an example?
The question that we ask at ILI is: how can technologies contribute to flourishing communities and a regenerative planet? Sustainability is at the core of how we approach impact licensing. It’s about linking technology to societal value in an intentional, measurable way.
True impact happens when communities shape technology to create meaningful value for themselves.
Randy Mellaerts, Director of the Impact Licensing Initiative
Take IKIC. It started with a cooling technology that was originally developed for passive cold chains in food retail by a commercial company. But ILI saw a much bigger potential and started working with partners to adapt it for health applications, especially in underserved regions. Along the way, we discovered another urgent need: small-scale farmers in Ethiopia and Senegal were struggling because they lacked proper cold storage to keep milk fresh. Without it, they couldn’t get fair prices. This wasn’t just about technology; it was about understanding local needs and working together to develop tailored solutions. The core technology was an enabler, but further innovation was needed to bridge the gaps. And that requires patience, risk-taking, and real human connection. True impact happens when communities shape technology to create meaningful value for themselves.
You encourage technology holders to engage in impact licensing. How does it work?
From a technology holder’s perspective, impact licensing is an innovative way to create value from intellectual property while balancing economic returns and societal impact. An important point to mention is that we define technology broadly. It includes not just patents, but also methodologies, data, and approaches that require specific savoir-faire. Very often, organizations such as companies or foundations are not aware of the potential they have in that respect. An impact license is a time-bound permission that allows a technology owner to introduce intellectual property (whether a product, service, or process) to a defined market for a specific societal purpose. It’s a hybrid approach to intellectual property, not fully public domain, but also not locked into conventional proprietary models.
Just as impact investing created a space between traditional finance and philanthropy, impact licensing operates between conventional licensing and compulsory licensing.
Randy Mellaerts
Just as impact investing created a space between traditional finance and philanthropy, impact licensing operates between conventional licensing and compulsory licensing. It enables ventures to work with technologies with intentionality, ensuring they address real needs, generate societal value, and create equitable returns. But for impact licensing to succeed, it needs the right partnerships and human connection. That’s anchored in our ethos at ILI, not just to support technology holders, but to co-design the licensing approach and set up the collaborations needed to make it work. ILI also has its own impact investment fund and works with a mix of financial streams in a systemic way to support the screening of technology, co-create partnerships for the common good, and further frugal innovation while continuously fostering a learning community.
How do you define and separate societal markets from commercial ones?
The impact licensing agreement is key here. It establishes a clear purpose for the technology, detailing its intended outcomes and impact. Additionally, it defines the scope of its societal markets by specifying geographic regions, target audiences, and usage contexts. To ensure accountability, it incorporates measurable key indicators that assess the technology’s effectiveness in these areas. It’s a structured yet flexible approach. Impact licensing becomes meaningful in the context of, and as the result of, a co-design process that involves all stakeholders and integrates multiple dimensions, including intellectual property, value creation, and social business modelling. In many cases, we use social franchising models to scale impact while staying aligned with the intended societal purpose. And the agreement also includes mechanisms to integrate lessons learned, both from technical and societal perspectives. That way, we can continuously adapt and refine how the technology is embedded into communities and how value is created.
Do you have examples of successful projects?
Yes, quite a few! ILI is active in impact domains for health, clean energy, sustainable agriculture, education, and AI. I already mentioned IKIC. They provide cold chain solutions for low-resource settings worldwide, ensuring a sustainable and scalable impact aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Another is COOSHA, an organization developing renewable hydrogen solutions. Their technology generates hydrogen from air and sunlight, allowing households to cook with hydrogen as an energy source in a way that’s healthy, affordable, and environmentally friendly. Then there’s READ, an organisation tackling medication non-adherence through low-tech smart health guides. They improve health literacy, monitoring, and adherence through their platform, helping to address a major global health challenge.
They’re combining artisan craftsmanship with technology to innovate in a sustainable way.
Randy Mellaerts
A final example I’ll give here is the Future Footwear Foundation, a non-profit organization working with indigenous communities to preserve traditional shoemaking knowledge while integrating modern research on human movement. They’re combining artisan craftsmanship with technology to innovate in a sustainable way. Each of these projects demonstrates how impact licensing can drive tangible change, scaling solutions while maintaining their social mission. In all these examples, ILI takes on the role of broker and facilitates the start of the purpose-oriented organizations with a clear mission lock. ILI also ensures that this mission lock is enforceable through legal mechanisms.
How do you measure the impact of these projects?
The impact license agreement plays a crucial role here. It includes quality monitoring, accountability measures, and safeguards to ensure the technology is used as intended. If an IP isn’t being deployed effectively or drifts away from its societal purpose, the license can be revoked. But measuring impact is more than ticking off predefined KPI’s. It’s about collaborative learning. We bring together all stakeholders – technology holders, impact investors, and practitioners on the ground – to engage in an ongoing process of evaluation and adaptation. Rather than just tracking numbers, we focus on refining methodologies and questioning assumptions through a transdisciplinary mindset. Independent third-party assessments, such as by knowledge institutes active in the field, help to ensure credibility, but it’s also about creating a culture of learning.
At the end of the day, we want to bridge the need for societal impact with the opportunity for continuous innovation.
Randy Mellaerts
At the end of the day, we want to bridge the need for societal impact with the opportunity for continuous innovation. That’s why we embed impact measurement into our partnerships and social franchising models. It’s not just about checking boxes, but about ensuring long-term success through giving it an evolutionary flexibility, so to speak.
How can organizations that want to use such technologies get involved?
Reach out to us! The conversation around IP is evolving: from protection to putting it to work for societal good. Switzerland, ranked No.1 in the EPO’s Innovation Index, has an opportunity to contribute to this shift. ILI is setting up clearing houses across Europe and aims to do so in Switzerland. We focus on low- and middle-income countries and collaborate on global initiatives where impact licensing creates value. We’re building a community of practice through our European project and welcome technology holders, foundations, non-profit organizations, philanthropists, and impact investors to explore how they can join the movement. It offers a unique opportunity to drive systems change together.
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