Winners of first ever EPO CodeChallenge announced

1 December 2020

Last week, the Office announced the winners of the first EPO CodeChallenge during a virtual award ceremony. The finalists took part in a six-week coding competition in which they were asked to use artificial intelligence (AI) to enable the automatic categorisation of climate-related technologies. The event was open to all staff across the EPO and run entirely online.

The coding competition was implemented to enable automation in a particularly important area of patent information: the Y02 and Y04S tagging schemes. The schemes provide a unique source of public information on technologies dedicated to climate change mitigation and adaptation. Two entrants tied in first place: the AITeam (comprising Rodolphe D'Inca, Idir Bakdi, Janis Dingel and Olivier Billet) and Arnaud Wéry. The second place finisher was Leander Hohmann, with the team SNourestani (comprising Sébastien Nourestani, Gonzalo Moro Pérez and Lori Malatesta) completing the podium.

At the ceremony, the awards were presented by EPO President António Campinos who underlined the depth of talent within the organisation: "The CodeChallenge shows that EPO staff are not only experts in their fields, they are also creative individuals who drive innovation." He complemented competitors on the ingenuity of their AI driven solutions and reminded them that their work would greatly contribute towards the Office's digital transformation as it continues to implement its Strategic Plan.

The EPO's focus on AI continues next month with the online conference "The role of patents in an AI driven world". The event will take place from 17 to 18 December and is free to attend - registration is now open.

Further information:

• CodeChallenge award ceremony highlights
• Register for "The role of patents in an AI driven world"