The ipeuropaware project was funded by the EC CIP programme, ran until end of Feb 2011, and was led by the University of Alicante.
The IPeuropAware project brought together two important existing Europe-wide initiatives: InnovAccess, a Web portal created by the National Patent Offices to provide information on their services for the end user and IPR-Helpdesk, Helpline and training mechanism for current and potential contractors in EC-funded Framework Programme projects. These initiatives, together with further actions foreseen in the project aimed to target and improve usage of and access to research, exploitation and innovation in Europe.
The participation in this project of 20 National Patent Offices aimed to boost the Europe-wide perspective of the project, and provide a voice at the national level in at least 20 member states that can communicate directly with national governments, other national and regional actors, their members, individuals, businesses and the European Commission. The consortium also sought to include new members from those countries not currently represented.
The main objective of the project was: "to raise awareness and knowledge of IPR especially for SMEs, with a view to:
Raise SMEs’ understanding of the need to integrate IP into their innovation strategies and their business planning;
Improve the protection of SMEs’ IP rights through increased registration of rights EU-wide and internationally, and increase the use of non-registered protection methods through the effective promotion of these methods;
Improve protection and enforcement by SMEs of their IP rights from infringement, originating from within or outside the EU;
Raise SMEs´ ability to fight counterfeiting and increase knowledge of the methodologies available to detect it;
Develop actions to promote awareness of IPR protection to educate the fashion and design industries (textiles, leather, footwear and furniture) on the risks counterfeiting poses and on the existing means and procedures to combat it;
Promote and support the use of IP rights in international research, development and technology transfer activities, providing an IP rights support service to current and potential beneficiaries of CIP and Research Framework Programme actions, especially high-tech SMEs and Public Research Organisations.
