European Commission and European Union Intellectual Property Office commit to closer collaboration on IP for effective exploitation of research results

Last week, the European Commission Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA) and the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) signed a letter of intent for co-operation on intellectual property (IP) management.

With this commitment, all parties are increasing efforts to co-operate more closely in actions related to IP management, which will directly support several European Research Area objectives: the translation of results into valuable economic assets, ensuring market uptake of research output and Europe’s competitive leadership in technology.

The three institutions will coordinate their efforts in terms of awareness-raising activities on IP and support measures for innovative SMEs, aiming to maximise their innovation potential and improving their understanding of IP.

In addition, the European Commission and EUIPO  will share IP-related data and will cooperate in IP management, policy development and knowledge transfer activities, including the development of a Code of Practice for smart use of IP.