The Commission and the European Patent Office commit to enhance cooperation in knowledge valorisation and intellectual assets management

Today, the Commission’s Directorate-General for Research and Innovation and the European Patent Office (EPO) today signed a Letter of Intent to strengthen their cooperation in the field of knowledge valorisation, especially promoting efficient intellectual assets management. 

This will support the European Research Area by translating research results into economic and societal benefits.

Marc Lemaitre, Director-General, Directorate General for Research and innovation, said:

Europe needs a stronger innovation culture that bolsters competitiveness and resilience. I believe we will do a lot together to support innovators and startups in managing their European intellectual assets more efficiently.

This initiative paves the way for common actions in the framework of awareness raising campaigns, training, and events to highlight the importance of intellectual assets management. It will explore joint initiatives to boost the innovation potential of SMEs and start-ups, such as promoting best practices. It also allows the signatories to exchange innovation-related information to assess trends and establish a dialogue on actions supporting the European innovation ecosystem. 

Background

DG RTD is responsible for the EU’s policy on research, science, and innovation, striving to boost value creation and competitiveness, address economic and societal challenges, and contribute to the green and digital transitions. The EPO, the executive arm of the European Patent Organisation, plays a crucial role in the European patent system. Since the launch of the Unitary Patent system in 2023, it also offers a uniform application procedure for patent protection in participating countries in the EU.

The European Research Area is an initiative to create a single, borderless market for research, innovation and technology across the EU. It helps countries be more effective together, by strongly aligning their research policies and programmes. One of its strategic objectives is to translate results into the economy to ensure market uptake of research output and Europe’s competitive leadership in technology. 

More information

Knowledge valorisation platform