Innovation financing in focus at annual meeting with member states in Reykjavík

At the EPO’s annual co-operation meeting in Iceland, delegates explored ways to boost innovation financing across Europe. On the sidelines, EPO President António Campinos also met with the President of Iceland, Halla Tómasdóttir.

The European Patent Office (EPO) held its 19^th annual co-operation meeting with member states on 18 June in Reykjavík, Iceland. This year’s event centred on the future of innovation and intellectual property (IP) financing in Europe, bringing together representatives of the EPO’s 39 member states, the European Innovation Council, startups, as well as public and private investors. Meeting participants reflected on how to best harness the strengths of the European Patent Network to follow up on the recommendations in the 2024 Draghi and Letta reports towards financial mechanisms to help tech start-ups scale and improve Europe’s competitiveness.

In his opening remarks, EPO President António Campinos emphasised the importance of strengthening IP-backed financing: “Bringing technologies to market requires a system that capitalises on intellectual property as a legitimate financial asset. This is the first time we, as a network, are collectively addressing the challenges around innovation financing. It’s an opportunity to map best practices and explore the pressing questions that many member states across Europe face. Our goal is to work with industry and policymakers to build a trusted, investor-ready IP ecosystem – one that helps inventors turn ideas into investable, market-ready solutions.” 

Participants were welcomed by Sigrún Brynja Einarsdóttir, Permanent Secretary at Iceland’s Ministry of Culture, Innovation and Higher Education, and Borghildur Erlingsdóttir, Director General of the Icelandic Intellectual Property Office. The programme featured two panel sessions: one exploring perspectives and real-life experiences from tech investors and start-ups, and the other focusing on the role of national IP offices and concrete actions to support IP financing. Participants also engaged in discussions with external experts on the use of AI in patent office operations and potential areas for future joint activities.

On the sidelines of the annual meeting, the EPO President met with the President of Iceland, Halla Tómasdóttir, to discuss the Icelandic IP landscape and the importance of the global patent system for companies and inventors operating internationally. Their conversation also touched on the importance of supporting young inventors. That same day, Iceland hosted the 2025 Young Inventors Prize ceremony, celebrating exceptional innovators aged 30 and under who are developing solutions for a more sustainable future.