Innovation is the key to success for European businesses as they strive to stay ahead of the competition. All too often, however, the role that patents play in supporting innovation is unknown.
The European Patent Academy aims to help businesses and policy-makers - in particular SMEs and start-ups - make the best use of the intellectual property system.
Our focus is on the individuals and organisations which advise businesses. By this we mean not only private companies and government-funded services, but also all the potential sources of advice to which a business might turn, including chambers of commerce, patent information centres, licence brokers, lawyers and financial service providers, all of whom help spread the message about good patent strategies to entrepreneurs, managers, researchers and developers.
The European Patent Academy co-operates closely with the major business advice networks, including business and innovation centres and the 600+ members of the Enterprise Europe Network, working with member organisations of these networks to stage workshops and seminars throughout Europe.
The Academy can provide expert speakers on a wide range of patent-related topics, from patent information and patent portfolio management to IP valuation, licensing and technology transfer.We can also organise speakers for conferences and training events offered by professional training providers.
The Academy also acts as a kind of media library, offering an ever-expanding range of IP training materials on the internet. Many of the materials are freely accessible. For others, registration is required. Our e-learning programme has been developed in co-operation with around 20 partner institutions.
