IP Management in European Structural and Investment Funds

European Structural and Investment Funds (ESI Funds) are one of the main investment policy tools of the European Union to support economic and social growth within Europe.

Research and innovation projects funded under ESI Funds entail the creation and use of intellectual assets, which attribute an indispensable role to intellectual property (IP) in the whole project management process.

Our latest fact sheet on IP Management in European Structural and Investment Funds underlines the importance of IP in ESI Funds and aims to provide guidance on the IP issues that may arise during the project life cycle.

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European IPR Helpdesk Bulletin Issue (19)

We are pleased to inform you that a new issue of the European IPR Helpdesk Bulletin has been released and is now available online.

This Bulletin issue is largely dedicated to industrial designs - industrial design protection, where and how to search registered designs, new design innovation funding opportunities under Horizon 2020.

Read also our interview with a young Luxembourgish designer and see her vision on Intellectual Property and design protection.  

Trade fairs - our Bulletin features an article giving practical recommendations on how to minimise the risk of infringement when exhibiting new, innovative products and services.

Article of Professor Thomas Gergen explains the advantages and risks in mediation procedures, as possible alternative to solve intellectual property disputes.

As always, the Bulletin reports information about past IPR events together with some fresh news on the Helpline service. In addition, it contains the usual patent quiz and a new design crossword.

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How to define and manage background in Horizon 2020

Defining the existing knowledge, i.e. the “background information”, of the partners has a direct effect on the successful exploitation of the results in Horizon 2020 projects.

Being aware of the importance of this issue, we have developed this Fact Sheet to provide information about the management of background information with an accent on "how to define background" within Horizon 2020 projects through different examples.

ACCIÓ’s third call of its TECNIOspring PLUS is open to companies

ACCIÓ (the Catalan Agency for Business Competitiveness) has opened the third call of its TECNIOspring PLUS programme on June 2 and will close it on September 28.

This programme provides 100% financial support to individual mobility proposals presented by experienced researchers in liaison with any R&D entity around the world. It offers two types of fellowships, incoming and outgoing.

The financial support is divided into salary costs, research costs and mobility costs.

All the information about the programme and the open call can be found at www.tecniospring.eu. If you need any further information, do not hesitate to contact tecniospring.accio@gencat.cat

Brochure: Making the Most of Your Horizon 2020 Project

Bringing research and its outcomes to the attention of non-scientific audiences, scientific peers, potential business partners or policy makers fosters collaboration and innovation. Overall, it helps to increase the impact of research and innovation in many ways.

Given the increased focus on impact in the Horizon 2020 programme and the importance attached to activities that help demonstrate and maximise the societal and economic impact of Research & Innovation (R&I) funding, effective plans for communication, dissemination and exploitation are considered increasingly significant for successful project evaluation. Communication activities to promote the project itself and its success, alongside the dissemination and exploitation of results, should thus be key components of every Horizon 2020 project.

Yet, there is still some confusion about what the terms communication, dissemination and exploitation in Horizon 2020 really mean: how do these terms and their corresponding activities relate to each other, and how can they be distinguished from one another?

As part of the training activities of the European IPR Helpdesk in the field of IP management and maximising impact in Horizon 2020 projects, the team has developed a new brochure aiming to clarify the terminology by illustrating the differences between communication, dissemination and exploitation, and to point out the areas they have in common. It is intended as an introduction, and will provide a helpful overview when developing your project’s outreach and exploitation strategy and plan.

The brochure complements the already existing portfolio of training offers and supporting material such as fact sheets and guides previously developed by the European IPR Helpdesk on this subject, putting a particular spotlight on the role of communication, dissemination and exploitation. Obviously, questions related to IP and IP management are highly significant in this whole context, too, and are thus addressed at various points throughout the document.

You may download the brochure below.

Twelve outstanding finalists for the 2018 EU Prize for Women Innovators

Twelve successful women entrepreneurs who have brought their breakthrough ideas to the market have made it to the shortlist for the EU Prize for Women Innovators 2018, funded under Horizon 2020, the EU’s research and innovation programme.

Find out more about this year's EU Prize for Women Innovators, here.

Meet the 12 finalists, here.

 

European IPR Helpdesk Bulletin Issue (28)

This Bulletin issue is dedicated to IP and research focusing on the crucial role played by IP in the context of research activities and how IP is managed by research institutions.

WIPO introduces us to institutional intellectual property policies and explains how it can assist on this matter.

OpenAIRE talks about open access and the different ways to make research results freely available under this practice while, Dr Dragan Indjin, a COST Action Chair and Grant Holder, shares with us his sucess story and his experience in this field.

Dr Claudia Tapia, from 4iPCouncil, explains how to collaborate in research projects while keeping IP business protected and, the European champion - TECNALIA, a Spanish research and technological development centre, describes to us its experience in IP management in the context of research projects.

Then, the Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR) summarises the initiatives and programmes the FNR provides for research projects.

As a closure to these articles and interviews, Professor Jennifer Littlechild, coordinator of the ERA-net project THERMOGENE, tells us in an interview about her experience in research projects and the importance of IP and IP management for their success.

As per usual, the Bulletin reports information about the European IPR Helpdesk’s past and future events together with the latest updates from our Helpline service. This time, you will also find a short article regarding the Autumn Meeting for the European IPR Helpdesk Ambassadors, as well as our brand-new IP and research multiple choice test and our usual patent quiz.

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