Letter

Järve 34a / 11314 Tallinn / Estonia / +372 717 0400 / [email protected] / www.ecdi.ee Registration code 70009764

Dr Krzysztof Wiater NGL Advisory sp. z o.o. [email protected]

15.04.2026 No 2-14/26/1378

International Survey: Intellectual Property Management in Defence Procurement Agencies

PURPOSE OF THE SURVEY

This survey forms part of an academic research project conducted within a habilitation-level monograph

on Intellectual Property Management in the Defence Sector.

Its purpose is to analyse how defence acquisition, armament, and innovation institutions govern

intellectual property rights (IPRs) in practice, across legal, organisational, lifecycle, and strategic

dimensions.

The survey is not an audit and does not assess compliance with any external standards.

All responses will be used exclusively for aggregated, anonymised academic analysis.

Instructions

• The unit of analysis is the institution, not the individual respondent.

• Please answer based on prevailing institutional practice.

• Multiple answers are allowed where indicated.

• If a question does not fully reflect your institutional situation, please use the “Other” option.

Section A - Institutional Profile

A.1 Country

Estonia

_________________________________

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A.2 Name of institution

Estonian Centre for Defence Investments

_________________________________

A.3 Institutional role (multiple choice possible)

☐ Ministry of Defence / Central Authority

X Defence procurement agency

X Armament agency

X Defence innovation / R&D agency

☐ Hybrid or combined institution

☐ Other (please specify): _________________________________

A.4 Scope of responsibility across the weapon-system lifecycle (multiple choice)

X Research and development

X Procurement and acquisition

X System integration and certification

X Sustainment and maintenance

X Modernisation and upgrades

X Disposal / decommissioning

☐ Other (please specify): _________________________________

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Section B - Formal Framework for IPR Management

B.1 Does your institution operate under a formal legal or regulatory framework governing IPRs in

defence programmes?

X Yes

☐ Partially

☐ No

B.2 Who formally owns IPRs generated or acquired in defence programmes?

X State / Ministry of Defence

☐ Defence agency

X Industry contractor

X Mixed / shared ownership

☐ Other: _________________________________

B.3 Is responsibility for IPR-related decisions formally assigned within your institution?

X Yes - central authority within the agency

☐ Yes - designated unit without agency-level authority

☐ No - handled ad hoc

☐ Other: _________________________________

B.4 Are IPR-related decisions formally linked to strategic documents?

☐ Yes - defence strategy

☐ Yes - industrial / innovation strategy

☐ Yes - both defence and industrial strategies

X No

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B.5 Sources of Acquisition or Generation of IPRs

Which channels are used by your institution to acquire or generate IPRs? (Multiple choice)

X Publicly funded R&D programmes

X Defence procurement contracts (including licences)

☐ Offset / industrial participation / ToT / ToK arrangements

X Special or integrated programmes (e.g. system integration creating unique IPRs)

☐ Other (please specify): _________________________________

B.6 Differentiation of Governance by IPR Source

Does your institution apply differentiated IPR governance approaches depending on the source of IPR

acquisition?

X Yes – systematically

☐ Yes – partially

☐ No

Section C - Operational Practice of IPR Management

C.1 Who effectively makes IPR-related decisions in practice?

X Central authority within the agency

☐ Designated unit without agency-level authority

☐ Ministry of Defence

☐ External legal or technical advisors

☐ Other: _________________________________

C.2 How frequently are IPR clauses actively negotiated in defence contracts?

☐ Always

X Often

☐ Rarely

☐ Never

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C.3 Are IPRs actively exercised during the system lifecycle (e.g. modification, integration, sustainment)?

X Yes - regularly

☐ Yes - occasionally

☐ No

C.4 Do contractual arrangements provide sufficient rights to use, modify, or integrate defence systems?

X Fully

☐ Partially

☐ Not at all

C.5 Does the national legal framework enable effective use of contractually acquired IPRs?

X Fully

☐ Partially

☐ Not at all

C.6 How often do formally granted IPRs differ from what can actually be exercised in practice?

☐ Very often

☐ Occasionally

X Rarely

☐ Never

Section D - Organisational Capacity and Human Capital

D.1 Does your institution have a dedicated IPR unit or function?

☐ Yes

X No

D.2 What competencies are represented in IPR-related teams? (multiple choice)

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X Legal

X Technical / engineering

X Procurement

X Programme management

☐ Other: _________________________________

D.3 How is institutional knowledge on IPR retained?

X Formal documentation

X Dedicated personnel

☐ Informal / ad hoc

☐ Not retained systematically

D.4a How are qualifications of staff working with IPRs developed?

☐ Formal education

☐ Professional practice

☐ Dedicated training programmes

X Combination of the above

D.4b How are staff incentivised to develop IPR-related competencies?

☐ Salary / remuneration mechanisms

X Coverage of education or training costs

☐ Inclusion in annual performance objectives

☐ No specific incentives

Section E - Learning, Feedback, and Adaptation

E.1 Are past defence programmes analysed from an IPR perspective?

☐ Yes - systematically

X Occasionally

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☐ No

E.2 Are lessons learned documented and reused in subsequent programmes?

☐ Yes

X Partially

☐ No

Section F - Advanced Instruments and Innovation Ecosystem

F.1 Does your institution use digital tools or IT systems to manage IPRs or technology portfolios?

☐ Yes

X No

F.2 Does your institution cooperate with innovation or venture-type mechanisms? (multiple choice)

X Defence innovation hubs

☐ Accelerators or incubators

☐ Venture capital-type vehicles

☐ Other VC-type or investment vehicles (please specify): ____________

☐ None of the above

Section G - Self-Assessment and Model Identification

G.1 How would you characterise your institution’s dominant approach to IPR governance?

☐ Administrative / compliance-oriented

☐ Contract-driven

X Strategic / lifecycle-oriented

☐ Adaptive / learning-oriented

G.2 Which statement best describes the role of IPRs in your institution?

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☐ IPRs are treated primarily as legal obligations

X IPRs support sustainment and operational autonomy

☐ IPRs are managed as a strategic capability

Thank you for your participation.