Deepening EPO partnerships in Ireland

In the week of 27 April, EPO President António Campinos and Vice-President Steve Rowan visited Ireland to strengthen co-operation with users and national authorities.

The visit began with an intervention at the Licensing Executives Society International (LESI) Annual Conference and was followed by meetings with the Irish Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment Peter Burke, the Intellectual Property Office of Ireland, and the leading association for patent attorneys APTMA.

The engagement allowed for a discussion on the progress of the unitary patent in Ireland and the Office’s strategic foresight initiative Scenarios for the Future 2025-2045.

New memorandum brings partnership with LESI to a new level

On 27 April, President Campinos signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the LESI and the EPO to advance value creation through intellectual property. The agreement includes training as well as co-operation on certification, standard-essential patents, SME outreach, and support for PATLIB centres and technology transfer. It will facilitate targeted knowledge exchange and opens new opportunities for co-developing training and supporting high-tech start-ups.

Securing the future of innovation in Europe

The following day, the EPO delegation met with Peter Burke, Ireland’s Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, John Newham, Assistant Secretary for Innovation and Investment, and James Kelly, Controller of the Irish Intellectual Property Office (IPOI) and representative of Ireland in the EPO’s government bodies. The exchanges focussed on the European innovation landscape, expanding the PATLIB network, the importance of joining the unitary patent system and how to secure Europe’s technological and economic sovereignty in the decades to come.

The President also used the opportunity to meet with Irish user association APTMA. Members of the association gave positive feedback on developments at the EPO, including the smooth functioning of EPO services and the EQE Candidate Support Programme, launched last year in Ireland, which is supporting more Irish women to enter the patent profession.

About LESI

Licensing Executives Society International (LESI) is an umbrella organisation of 32 national and regional member societies dedicated to advancing the business of IP and technology transfer. It functions as a non-profit professional and educational network promoting high standards and ethics in IP-related business, while supporting skills development, knowledge exchange, and best practices in IP commercialisation, valuation and management.

About the Scenarios for the Future 2025-2045

In 2007, the Office published a study called Scenarios for the Future, which envisioned the future of the innovation ecosystem and the roles that the IP system and IP offices might be playing by 2025. Building on these foundations, the Office has now launched a new initiative that seeks to reflect on further possible developments over the next two decades.

To ensure inclusiveness, the Office initiated a broad consultation process which will include key stakeholders, such as member states, major applicants, user associations, academia, the judiciary, EPO staff and the public at large. The aim is to collect retrospective assessments of the scenarios in the original study and perspectives on the future.

The new study is due to be published in June 2027 to coincide with the 50^th anniversary of the EPO.