Among the benefits of a professional society like LES is the spirit of collaboration and shared experiences that envelope and define our organization and our community. Learning from our common experiences and packaging the perspectives of LES members into content that will help you—and the organizations for which you work—is what we’re all about.
That’s why we’re particularly excited to share that our 2021 Global Life Sciences and High-Tech Royalty Rate and Deal Term Surveys will be launching in the coming weeks and will remain open for input through the summer. In partnership with LES International (LESI), we are asking for your participation in populating the surveys with recent actual deal data. Please stay tuned for information on how to participate, coming soon.
LES is known for our multi-national surveys of deal terms and royalty rates for licensing deals, which have long served as a trusted resource for economic benchmarks defining high-tech and life sciences deals. We will use these surveys to inform royalty survey reports for their respective industries. Participation is crucial – the more input we receive, the better the data for defining corresponding benchmarks, which in turn positively impacts their utility in deal negotiations. This year, in partnership with LESI, we are looking to expand the participant pool globally, making our survey reports even more valuable. By participating, you will contribute anonymously to a timely and valuable data set that will yield current, industry-specific information for LES members.
Survey Background
The Life Sciences Survey commenced in 2008 and trailblazed the format, content, and execution of LES surveys. The survey has been conducted on a bi-annual basis for this sector. To date there have been six Life Sciences Surveys completed, the most recent of which was conducted in 2018. The planned 2020 survey was delayed, yet another accommodation made as a result of the pandemic.
The Life Sciences Survey has set an exemplary precedent in LES’s collaboration with LESI. For example, the 2018 Survey was fielded in coordination with the LESI Life Sciences Sector and was executed on a global scale. The six surveys so far have collected a total of 805 effective samples, representing the largest sample size accumulated among all LES USA and Canada surveys.
The High-Tech Survey was first launched in 2011 and was initially scheduled to be conducted every three years. Three surveys have been conducted to date—in 2011, 2014 and 2017, with the 2020 questionnaire likewise delayed as a result of the pandemic. The surveys have collected a total of 477 effective responses so far, covering various features and characteristics of license deal terms and payment structuring.
Both surveys generate data and content for LES annual meetings and other forums.
Broad Usage
These surveys have proven to be incredibly valuable to our LES Life Sciences and High-Tech Sector industry members. The survey information provides a valuable benchmarking tool that IP and licensing professionals depend on to deliver value to their organizations, but use of the survey information also extends to lawyers, corporate finance and investment professionals, and beyond.
The data generated from this year’s surveys will be added to historical data from past surveys to provide LES members with not only an update on the current trends in the market, but also a retrospective look at how licensing practices have changed over the years. The survey reports help explain how licensing deals are structured and why, and they also show the rationale behind the licensing of parties and what specific licensing features are chosen and used. As an example, based on the data generated from the Surveys, LES has been able to quantify the royalty rate premiums associated with exclusivity and technology maturity, which helps negotiators addressing challenges in royalty rate determination or revising the royalty rate based on re-assessment of technology development stage. Broad participation makes the data set more robust, and therefore more valuable. Your contribution helps inform industry benchmarks that will in turn provide the foundation for your future deals.
Survey Execution
LES has again commissioned Vault Consulting, a leading association research organization and experts in confidential surveys, to administer these surveys. Each survey response will remain completely confidential. LES will never have information which can identify individuals, answers or company names. No individual survey data will be shared with any organization or entity or with members of LES staff. No product names and no company names are collected. Distribution of the survey will comply with GDPR.
Any organization can contribute to the survey, but you must be an active LES member to download the reports once available. A brief executive summary in PPT will be provided to non-LES members, and the full reports will be made available to non-LES members for a fee.
Please take the time to contribute to the 2021 Royalty Rate and Deal Term Surveys to ensure your data is reflected and to help build a more robust benchmark to assist with your future Life Sciences and High-Tech deal making. LES members will receive an email directly from Vault Consulting (sender address: [email protected] or directly from the analyst, Wyatt Priddy: [email protected]) who will provide a unique link to complete the survey. In partnership with LES International (LESI), we are asking for your participation in populating the surveys with recent actual deal data.
In the coming weeks if you do not receive the link to participate, please contact [email protected].
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