Licensing
CATRIN offers companies and institutions the opportunity to make use of the results of cutting-edge research through licensing. This gives you access to validated, highly innovative solutions that can accelerate product development, strengthen competitiveness and open up new market opportunities. Working with our team means more than simply acquiring rights to intellectual property. You also benefit from expert support during the implementation of technologies into practice and from opportunities for further joint development. Licensing collaboration allows you to build on many years of CATRIN research in nanotechnology, biotechnology and biomedicine, transforming scientific results into real-world innovation.
Our company is a pioneer in the field of plant biostimulants and focuses on individual active molecules that increase agricultural productivity. We have been working with CATRIN scientists for several years, and the foundation of this cooperation is a scientifically robust approach to testing, isolation, synthesis, efficacy and mechanisms of action of individual molecules. It has been both a pleasure and a commercial success to bring the MTU® growth stimulant to market together with other partners. We are now jointly working on the launch of a new active substance designed for wheat seed treatment.
Neal Sanders, (Operations Manager) IntraCrop
Working with CATRIN is a pleasure for an investor: high-quality science, predictable cooperation and fast legal implementation. Licensing agreements are clear, well balanced and enable the commercial potential of emerging companies to scale effectively.
Andrew Hladký, (Partner) IP Lab VenturesBest practice examples
Iron Analytics
Iron Analytics builds on more than thirty years of research and development in Mössbauer spectroscopy, a field with its roots at Palacký University Olomouc. Mössbauer spectrometers developed and manufactured in Olomouc—originally known as MS96—are now used in more than 30 research laboratories worldwide. Their applications range from the analysis of nanomaterials, pharmaceuticals, iron and steel products, biological samples, ferrites and minerals to archaeological artefacts and beyond. Iron Analytics continues to expand the potential of Mössbauer spectroscopy into new industrial applications as well as research for space missions.
The company is also developing a concept for a Mössbauer spectrometer intended for industrial use. With support from the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic, the goal is to create a breakthrough device—a Mössbauer spectrometer scarcely larger than a Coca-Cola can. This state-of-the-art instrument will enable rapid and precise analysis of iron-containing materials directly in industrial environments, fundamentally changing the way material analysis is performed.
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Global Water Nanotechnologies
A technology for the efficient purification of contaminated water, developed by CATRIN researchers, is being brought into practice by the spin-out company Global Water Nanotechnologies. Its goal is to complete the development of a patented technology based on effervescent tablets containing iron nanoparticles and to offer this solution for commercial use.
The tablets are capable of rapidly removing contaminants such as hexavalent chromium, arsenic, herbicides, pesticides and other pollutants from water. In 2021, the technology won first place in the national Transfera Technology Day competition and was subsequently successfully validated in cooperation with another industrial partner. The establishment of the spin-out company in 2024 marks the completion of this phase of technology transfer and opens the way for deploying this innovative solution in regions facing an acute shortage of safe drinking water.
ATOMIVER
A graphene-based material for energy storage in supercapacitors, developed by researchers at CATRIN, Palacký University, is being transferred into practice by the newly established spin-out company Atomiver. Its mission is to take the carbon material from development through to a market-ready product and to identify suitable commercial applications. The material is already protected by a Japanese patent, with further patents currently pending.
The electrode material, based on nitrogen-doped graphene—a two-dimensional material consisting of a single layer of carbon atoms—was developed by researchers in Olomouc seven years ago. In subsequent years, its significant potential for electrical energy storage was confirmed, particularly in supercapacitors, which represent an attractive alternative to the currently dominant lithium-ion batteries. Development of a prototype device with unique properties was made possible through the prestigious European Innovation Council TRANS2DCHEM project, in collaboration with colleagues from Bar-Ilan University in Israel and the Italian company ITELCOND.
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Technology for the separation of lactoferrin from milk
Lactoferrin is a milk protein that plays a key role in the immune system. It has antibacterial, antiviral and anti-allergic effects and, according to some studies, may help prevent the development of cancer. It is widely used as a modern dietary supplement for both infants and adults as supportive therapy for a range of conditions. However, lactoferrin is largely lost during heat treatment of milk, such as pasteurisation. According to researchers, even unpasteurised milk from vending machines contains significantly lower levels of lactoferrin.
CATRIN researchers have developed and patented a new technology for separating lactoferrin from cow's milk or whey using functionalised iron-based particles. Between 2018 and 2022, two licences for this technology were granted to industrial partners in the Czech Republic and abroad. Licensing negotiations with a third potential industrial partner are currently under way.
Patents
Date of filing: 01.12.2025
Status: Available
Utility Model registered: CZ 39099
Inventors: DZUROVÁ Lenka, MILEK Jiří
Date of filing: 23.10.2025
Status: Available
Utility Model registered: CZ 38990
Inventors: SOUKUPOVÁ Jana, KETTOU Sofiane, KUBÁČ Lubomír, JANOUŠEK Tomáš, LIGASOVÁ Lucie, PIŠTĚKOVÁ Hana, KOVÁŘOVÁ Miroslava
Date of filing: 15.08.2025
Status: Available
Patents: EP patent pending
Inventors: BUI Thanh Lam, KMENT Štěpán, ZBOŘIL Radek
Date of filing: 29.07.2024
Status: Available
Patents: EP patent pending
Inventors: BAKANDRITSOS Aristeidis, PANÁČEK David, ZBOŘIL Radek
Date of filing: 18.07.2024
Status: Available
Utility Model registered: CZ 38179
Inventors: MEDŘÍK Ivo, VESELSKÁ Veronika, ZELENÁ POSPÍŠKOVÁ Kristína, FILIP Jan
Date of filing: 21.04.2022
Status: Available
Patents: CA patent pending; JP patent pending; US patent pending; EP patent pending
Inventors: OTYEPKA Michal, PANÁČEK David, BAKANDRITSOS Aristeidis, ZBOŘIL Radek
Date of filing: 21.03.2021
Status: Available
Patents: EP patent pending
Inventors: BAKANDRITSOS Aristeidis, CHERUVATHOOR POULOSE Aby, ZBOŘIL Radek
Date of filing: 06.05.2020
Status: Licensed
Patents granted: JP 7497910; IN 563999; US 12,448,291; JP 7800940; IL 297995; CA patent pending; EP patent pending
Inventors: OTYEPKA Michal, BAKANDRITSOS Aristeidis, ŠEDAJOVÁ Veronika, JAKUBEC Petr
Date of filing: 16.03.2020
Status: Optioned
Patents granted: CZ 310287; EP 4120837 [GB, UP]
Inventors: NISLER Jaroslav, KOPEČNÝ David, SPÍCHAL Lukáš, STRNAD Miroslav
Date of filing: 16.03.2020
Status: Licensed
Patents granted: CZ 310218; EP 4121415 [GB, UP]
Inventors: NISLER Jaroslav, KOPEČNÝ David, SPÍCHAL Lukáš, STRNAD Miroslav
Date of filing: 27.02.2017
Status: Licensed
Patents granted: EP 3585736 [BE, DE, FR, GB, LU, IE, CH/LI, MT, MC, CZ]
Inventors: FILIP Jan, PETALA Eleni, ZBOŘIL Radek
Date of filing: 15.11.2013
Status: Available
Patents granted: EP 2873329 [BE, DE, DK, EE, FR, GB, IE, IT, LT, LV, NL, PL, SE, SL, SK]
Inventors: HOLÁ Kateřina, ZBOŘIL Radek, MEDŘÍK Ivo