Intellectual property rights management in defence R&D projects: implications for the use of publicly funded results
Intellectual property rights management in defence R&D projects: implications for the use of publicly funded results

Summary/Abstract: This article examines the legal and institutional framework governing the use of results from development projects financed by the National Centre for Research and Development in the field of national security and defence. It analyses how changes in the management of intellectual property rights and technical documentation of military equipment affect the use of project results in building the operational capabilities of the Polish Armed Forces and supporting the life cycle of military equipment. The paper addresses a research gap concerning the relationship between intellectual property rights management, technical documentation and the practical use of publicly funded R&D results in defence modernisation and logistics systems, focusing on solutions introduced by Decision No. 1/MON of 12 January 2026. The study applies a normative and comparative analysis of legal acts, competition documentation and model agreements used in selected NCBR competitions, covering different models of intellectual property rights allocation and management. The findings indicate that the new regulatory framework strengthens the conditions for using project results by clarifying the scope of rights and introducing mechanisms supporting their management, but does not itself ensure their implementation. The article contributes to defence logistics by showing that intellectual property rights and technical documentation determine whether R&D results can support maintenance, modernisation, modification and further development of military equipment throughout the equipment life cycle.

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