Patent Quality Charter

We build our systems to deliver quality products and services

• We design and review our processes and workflows to increase transparency, efficiency and legal certainty.
• We develop tools and procedures to better engage with and serve our workforce and the users of the European patent system. 
• We offer and promote collaborative and interactive ways of working to help all parties gain experience and improve efficiency.
• We provide reliable interfaces and databases to ensure secure access to the relevant state of the art.

We promote knowledge sharing to achieve excellence

• We facilitate access to expertise to support continual learning.
• We nurture cross-departmental communities of practice and provide resources, tools and services that allow our staff to exchange best practices.
• We harness the power of artificial intelligence to enhance our digital workflows.
• We foster a culture of mutual learning and appreciation through initiatives such as the new audit dialogue to further improve quality.
• We actively help and support each other, enabling us to create the collaborative environment we strive for.

We believe that sustainable quality results from a set of shared values

• Ownership, commitment and pride in serving the European patent system belong to our core values.
• We recognise that delivering the highest quality standards is essential to the long‑term sustainability of the European patent system.
• We are each and every one of us responsible and accountable for quality in the patent process.
• We foster internal and external collaboration at all stages of the patent process to achieve the highest quality of products and services.

We build on a culture of continuous learning

• We rely on robust quality metrics to make ongoing improvements to the efficiency of our services and the quality of our products.
• We track accuracy and compliance with quality controls and audits, and with the help of our expert network.
• We use root-cause analysis to identify ways we can improve.
• We foster our internal quality culture by facilitating fact-based decision-making.
• We promote open and transparent feedback channels between peers and experts, including exchange platforms, training and dedicated events.

We believe in strong engagement and dialogue with stakeholders

• We engage in dialogue with  our stakeholders to understand expectations and respond to needs.
• We involve our stakeholders and value all feedback as we look to continuously improve our products and services.
• We regularly survey and engage with our stakeholders through open and inclusive consultation exercises to determine whether we are meeting their expectations.
• We respond to customer enquiries and requests in a timely fashion.