IP

The IPA4SME campaign has been launched and is looking for SMEs in need of assistance with their Intellectual Property (IP) valorisation. IPA4SME (“Boosting the use of IP with an action specifically designed for Innovative SMEs”) is a unique business opportunity for SMEs to acquire IP Valorisation and Protection, through a variety related services.

The beneficiaries of these Intellectual Property services are SMEs that have been awarded the Seal of Excellence from the Horizon 2020 SME Instrument, and they can apply for the following:

• Free IP Pre-diagnostics: a customised report by a verified IP Expert on your business strategy related to IP with recommendations on achieving a secure and efficient exploitation of your assets. The service is available to SMEs registered in Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Netherlands, Spain and Sweden.
• Financial reimbursement of IP protection costs, specifically eligible costs of qualified IP attorney and European patent application fees, for all EU and COSME countries.

On 1st April, a delegation of the China Trademark Association visited the University of Alicante. The meeting was hosted by the International Project Management Office at the University of Alicante City Center Building.

During the meeting, the International Project Management Office was presented by Dr. Ester Boldrini, OGPI Deputy Director. Ms Noelia López, OGPI Senior Project Manager, presented the Erasmus+ CIPnet project, a project that is implemented in China to promote the modernisation and harmonisation of Intellectual Property Management practices in the higher education system, with a view to enhance university-industry collaborations and contribute to economic and social development.

On March 2019, the II Training of Trainers took place in Zhanjiang (China), organized and hosted by Lingnan Normal University. The Training was attended by more than 60 participants from 14 Chinese Higher Education Instituions.

During this training, entittled "Intellectual Property Policies for Universities. The Aim, the Structure and the Content", the participants discussed IP Policies at the Universities, from the general overview of the role and importance of IP Policies to the universities, to the basic content of IP Policies, to the specific issues to be covered by IP Policies.

OGPI has participated in two international events on intellectual property issues taking place in Guatemala. Firstly, our experts were invited to participate in an international seminar on Marketing and Communication strategies for IP national offices organized by Spanish Patent and Trademark Office, in collaboration with the Patent and Trademark Office in Guatemala and the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation. This 3day seminar that took place in the city of Antigua (Guatemala) congregates national IP offices from different Latin American countries with a common aim: to find new ways for engaging with SMEs and raising awareness about the need of protecting their intellectual property assets before starting to commercialize their products and services.

CIPnet project partners have conducted a study visit to the University of Alicante. This is the second project event, following the Kick-off meeting and study visit to Jagiellonian University in Kraków last March.

The welcome to the Study Visit was given by Prof. Dr. Juan Llopis, Vice-President for International Relations of the University of Alicante. The Study Visit has been attended by Professors of Law, Directors of Research Offices and Directors of Technology Transfer Offices from seven Chinese Universities and also by two representatives from Jagiellonian University, project coordinator.

This week representatives from universities in Europe and China are meeting in Kraków, Poland, to kick-off the Erasmus+ project CIPnet - China Intellectual Property Management Network, coordinated by Jagiellonian University and in which the University of Alicante is a partner as leader of the Benchmarking and Needs Analysis Activities and the Quality Assurance work packages. The UA is represented by OGPI senior project manager Noelia López.