The European IPR Helpdesk Information Kit
Happy Birthday Helpdesk: New EU IPR Helpdesk team celebrates 1 st anniversary With more than 2,000 registered users, 600 successfully answered Helpline inquiries, nearly 1,500 registrations for online seminars, and a growing library of different publications the Helpdesk looks back on a successful first year. Luxembourg/Saarbrücken, 13 March 2012 The European IPR Helpdesk has reason to celebrate these days: One year ago, in March 2011, the new team behind the service initiative funded by the European Commission officially launched its activities. With a more business-oriented approach and an additional focus on European small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) the Luxembourgish-German consortium of three partners (infeurope S.A., Centre Recherche Public Henri Tudor & Eurice GmbH) set out to provide free of charge, first-line advice on Intellectual Property and Intellectual Property Rights issues to scientists and SMEs involved in collaborative R&D projects and/or transnational partnership agreements. All our services are dedicated to offer practical, straightforward IP support, to help researchers and SMEs to build up capacities to deal with their intellectual assets and to integrate adequate IP management strategies in their day-to-day business, Stefan Geier, managing director of infeurope S.A. and coordinator of the project, outlines the Helpdesk s mission. Looking back on these first twelve months I believe we have done a good job in establishing an attractive service portfolio that is catering to the needs and requirements of our target groups, Geier continues. Looking back at a successful year: achievements of 2011 Much has been achieved since the official start last year. The Helpdesk s helpline service backed-up by a team of IP lawyers, who answer individual IP inquiries within three working days, responded to 600 questions from universities and SMEs in the last twelve months. The majority of questions were thereby concerned with issues related to IP and IPR in the context of collaborative research projects funded under the EU s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7). In addition, the team participated in more than 50 training and awareness raising events and launched a programme of web-based training sessions last October. Since then these webinars have attracted more than 1,500 registrations from people all across Europe. Based on a set of nine different training modules specifically targeted either at researchers or SMEs, all training activities aim at providing participants with a wellbalanced mixture of basic concepts and practical examples. The European IPR Helpdesk is managed by the European Commission s Executive Agency for Competitiveness and Innovation (EACI), with policy guidance provided by the European Commission s Enterprise & Industry Directorate- General. The positions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Commission.
Last not least, regular newsletters and bulletins have kept keep users up-to-date on recent developments in the world of IP and R&D. Plus: A growing number of fact sheets and guides available on the Helpdesk s website provide hands-on information and practical guidance on how to tackle IP issues in business or at the different stages of an EU-funded collaborative research project. Building on these achievements the Helpdesk team will keep up their efforts to offer services that best match the expectations and requirements of European researchers and SMEs. Of course we will continue to closely observe trends and new demands to extend and constantly adjust our services accordingly. Our users can look forward to new webfeatures, more publications and new training items only to name a few, Geier casts a glance at the Helpdesk s plans for this year. About the European IPR Helpdesk The European IPR Helpdesk is a service initiative that aims at raising awareness of Intellectual Property (IP) and Intellectual Property Rights (IPR). It provides free of charge, first-line support on IP and IPR matters to current and potential beneficiaries of European collaborative research projects (FP7/CIP) as well as to European small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) involved transnational partnership agreements. The project consortium behind the European IPR Helpdesk consists of three partners: infeurope S.A. (project coordinator/luxembourg), Centre de Veille Technologique a department of CRP Henri Tudor (Luxembourg) working in close collaboration with the Luxembourg Intellectual Property Office (Ministry of Economy and Foreign Trade) and EURICE - European Research and Project Office GmbH (Germany). The initiative is managed by the European Commission s Executive Agency for Competitiveness and Innovation (EACI) in close cooperation with the European Commission s Enterprise & Industry Directorate-General. More information on: www. iprhelpdesk.eu 2
Visual material We are happy to provide you with the following images just send us an email at press@iprhelpdesk.eu: Caption: Happy Birthday Helpdesk: New EU IPR Helpdesk team celebrates 1 st anniversary/ istockphoto.com/jill Fromer Caption: Get your ticket to innovation: The European IPR Helpdesk offers free, first-line IP advice to European researchers and SMEs./ istockphoto.com/angelika Schwarz Caption: The managers behind the European IPR Helpdesk (from left to right): Stefan Geier (infeurope S.A.), Serge Quazzotti (CRP Henri Tudor), Jörg Scherer (Eurice GmbH)/ European IPR Helpdesk Contact European IPR Helpdesk Stephanie Mielke c/o Eurice GmbH Science Park 1 66123 Saarbrücken Phone +49 681 95923394 press@iprhelpdesk.eu 3
Title European IPR Helpdesk Programme Funded under the Competiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) Abstract The European IPR Helpdesk is a service initiative managed by the Executive Agency for Competitiveness and Innovation (EACI), with policy guidance provided by the European Commisson s Enterprise & Industry Directorate-General. It was established to provide information, first-line advice and training on Intellectual Property (IP) and Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) to (potential) beneficiaries of collaborative research projects funded under the EU s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7), and the Competiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP). In addition, the European IPR Helpdesk offers IP support to EU small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that are in the process of negotiating or concluding transnational partnership agreements, especially within the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN). In an increasingly knowledge-driven economic environment the professional management of IP and IPR is key for organisations and research/innovation projects to make the most of their innovative potential. Against this backdrop, the European IPR Helpdesk aims to raise awareness of IP and provide customized support via a broad service portfolio: The Helpline service operated by a team of experienced IP lawyers offers professional advice on individual IP questions within three working days. Additionally, the team participates in awareness raising events and organises individual IPR training sessions throughout Europe (on-location or web-based in form of webinars). Regular publications such as an email newsletter, or a three-monthly Bulletin keep beneficiaries up to date on the latest IP and IPR news. In addition, a growing number of fact sheets and guides provide practical and concise information on how to deal with different IP aspects. All of these services are offered free of charge. Duration 36 months (01/01/2011 31/12/2013) Coordinator infeurope S.A. 62, rue Charles Martel L-2134 Luxembourg Phone +352 25 22 33-333 (Helpline) Fax +352 25 22 33-334 (Helpline) Email service@iprhelpdesk.eu Web www.iprhelpdesk.eu Consortium Partners Centre de Veille Technologique CRP Henri Tudor/Office de la PI (MECE)(Luxembourg/Luxembourg) EURICE - European Research and Project Office GmbH (Saarbrücken/Germany) The European IPR Helpdesk is managed by the European Commission s Executive Agency for Competitiveness and Innovation (EACI), with policy guidance provided by the European Commission s Enterprise & Industry Directorate- General. The positions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Commission.
Your Road Map The European IPR Helpdesk Services Website Extensive information is just one click away IP is a multi-faceted topic. Be it current news or articles, hints at upcoming events or frequently asked questions on our website you can find extensive information on the different aspects of IPR and IP management, especially with regard to specific IP questions related to EU funded R&D programmes. Also a collection of model agreements from the Seventh Framework Programme as well as different fact sheets are available to help you deal with individual IP matters you might face in collaborative R&D projects. Visit our website: www.iprhelpdesk.eu Meet us at key events Awareness In order to get in touch with you directly we participate in various information and brokerage events all over Europe to raise awareness of the importance of IPR in general and the European IPR Helpdesk and its services in particular. You can find out where to meet us in the event section of our website. Just go to: www.iprhelpdesk.eu/events Keep track of the latest news in the fields of IP and R&D To understand today s and to anticipate tomorrow s challenges, our newsletter informs you about recent developments in the fields of IP, Intellectual Assets Management and R&D in Europe. Once you subscribe to it, you will receive an email twice a week linking you to our website where you will find a mix of the latest news and events. The newsletter s quality service specifically selects only the information that is relevant to you. Thus, saving you valuable time and unnecessary effort. We also welcome your contributions, so please contact us if you would like to share any relevant information. Newsletter Different perspectives, one topic: IPR The Bulletin allows you to take a closer look at certain IP and R&D issues from varying perspectives. Designed in a businessoriented, magazine-like way it provides illustrative case studies and success stories, easy-to-read expert articles, interviews as well as reports on past events and activities of the European IPR Helpdesk team. The Bulletin is published on a three-monthly basis and is sent directly to you via email after your subscription. Bulletin Your IPR queries matter to us It can be hard to find your way in the world of IP and IPR. Our Helpline service offers professional IP or IPR advice customised, straightforward, comprehensible and free of charge. For a qualified answer or examination of your personal IP issue, get in touch with our team of experienced lawyers by registering on our website, or contact us by phone or fax and we will get back to you within three working days. How to reach the Helpline team: www.iprhelpdesk.eu Phone: +352 25 22 33-333 Helpline Practice makes perfect Training Capacity building is the magic word when it comes to our training actions. Based on a very practical and comprehensive training approach, the European IPR Helpdesk provides free of charge training to current and potential beneficiaries of EU funded projects as well as to European SMEs negotiating or concluding transnational partnership agreements. The overall goal of our training activities is to enable our target audiences to develop their own IP management strategies and processes. You are interested in planning a training session with us? Send us an email: service@iprhelpdesk.eu
Experience The European IPR Helpdesk certainly enhanced my understanding of the IP issues of our Consortium. HELPLINE EXPERIENCE Dr Helen Grogan, Senior Research Officer at Teagasc, the Agriculture and Food Development Authority of Ireland shares with us her experience with our Helpline service. Helen Grogan, is a Senior Research Officer in Teagasc, the Agriculture and Food Development Authority of Ireland. Teagasc is the national body providing integrated research, advisory and training services to the agriculture and food industry and rural communities. Their annual research portfolio comprises some 300 research projects, carried out by 174 researchers with the assistance of 280 technical and support staff. Teagasc collaborates extensively An important part of Helen s time is dedicated to the management and coordination of research projects in Horticulture where Teagasc is involved. Although she has long experience in research, she is new to coordinating FP7 projects, and has comes across complex problems for which neither her colleagues, nor the Guide to Intellectual Property Rules for FP7 projects (ftp.cordis. europa.eu/pub/fp7/docs/ipr_en.pdf) are able to provide for a solution. specific IP-related rules applicable to this concrete type of action. Following the suggestion of her REA project officer, she contacted the European IPR Helpdesk for assistance. She sent all her IPrelated queries, as well as parts of the DoW to the Helpline. In this way, the IP consultants of the Helpline were given all the necessary information to provide her with answers in as much detail as possible. with Irish and European universities and research institutes, and has a long history of participation in Framework Programmefunded projects. Recently, she got involved in a project for the benefit of SME Associations within the Capacities programme. This was the first time she had co-ordinated this kind of action. For this reason, she faced some difficulties in dealing with all the issues concerning the management of Intellectual Property (IP) and in making sure that the Description of Work (DoW) was fully in accordance with the Teagasc The Agriculture and Food Development Authority in Ireland Agriculture and food industry Public entity www.teagasc.ie With the assistance of the European IPR Helpdesk, Helen was able to better understand and interpret the guidelines, as well as to improve the final version of section 3.2 of the DoW. The European IPR Helpdesk is managed by the European Commission s Executive Agency for Competitiveness and Innovation (EACI), with policy guidance provided by the European Commission s Enterprise & Industry Directorate-General. The positions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Commission.
EVENT EXPERIENCE IPR issues can affect an FP7 project in various ways. Johann Caruana, Manager R&D Partnership Agreements Internationalisation Unit & Enterprise Europe Network at Malta Enterprise, about the importance of IPR and the participation of the European IPR Helpdesk in last year s B2B Networking Event Unlocking the Potential in which he was involved as member of the organising team. What was the purpose of this event? Unlocking the Potential was an event specifically aimed at bringing together companies from the Euromed region in the sectors of ICT, Renewable Energy, Environment, Education and Training Services, Creative Industries and Audio Visuals, and the Food and Beverage Processing. Furthermore, an FP7 Café was running on both days, showcasing Maltese and non Maltese-project consortia looking for FP7 partners and services. Companies that had a stand at the FP7 Café were also able to interact with third parties via Skype in order to increase the networking potential. How important is IP for Enterprise Europe Network Malta/Malta Enterprise and its customers? Malta Enterprise is assisting companies to engage in R&D initiatives. This varies from technical feasibility studies to prototyping and product development. Therefore IP is an integral aspect of our clients. Through various initiatives, Malta Enterprise is fostering a healthy R&D culture locally and inevitably promoting IP issues. Furthermore through the Enterprise Europe Network and the Business Advisors, Malta Enterprise is giving advice and technical support to locally based companies that show an interest in participating in R&D projects and initiatives. How would you describe the services of the European IPR Helpdesk? Outstanding, tailor-made, and extremely professional! They have catered for the client s specific needs and furthermore they have managed to accept our invite and make the necessary arrangements to set up a stand at the FP7 Café event within a few days. What we found extremely important and useful was that their services have taken into account the varying levels of IP expertise within the local SME scenario. Would you recommend our participation in similar events of the Enterprise Europe Network? And why? Definitely! When considering the challenges related to IP issues, the European IPR Helpdesk have managed to provide us with excellent tailor-made expert advice. Furthermore, since the European IPR Helpdesk is an unbiased entity, companies felt more secure in divulging certain confidential information. What was the outcome of this event? The event proved to be overwhelmingly successful. We have had over 200 participants from Europe and beyond. Over 12 FP7 partner searches were tailor-made for Maltese companies, and several companies have initiated the process of discussing or even finalising partnership agreements. Workshops with international speakers have been held, contributing to the capacity building aspect. Moreover, the above was enhanced through the social networking functions that were organised. Do you have any feedback from the SMEs that have participated in the event? Did any of them come back to you after the event with some issues about intellectual property and technology transfer? The feedback was very encouraging. It has instilled interest and awareness on IPR issues, and we intend to collaborate with the European IPR Helpdesk and other local entities also in the future. 2