European IP Helpdesk Stakeholder Event & Ambassadors Winter Training in Collaboration with the Enterprise Europe Network

Joining forces with the Impact Licensing Initiative, the European IP Helpdesk welcomed representatives of different units of the European Commission, the European Patent Office and the International IP SME Helpdesks to their Annual Stakeholder Event in Brussels on 9 November 2023. Entitled "Unlocking the Potential of Innovation Ecosystems for Societal Value Creation" the event shed light on how novel IP and licensing strategies can contribute to better addressing burning societal challenges and benefit the common good.

The Impact Licensing Initiative (ILI) acts as a catalyst for technology owners to make a significant impact on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It is built on the idea that many technologies, despite their potential to address present and future global societal challenges, are still underutilised. Alongside talks by ILI experts explaining the overall concept behind social impact licensing and showcasing how it can be successfully put into practice, the audience heard about ways to re-think the sharing and using of data from the non-profit organisation The Data Tank and gained insights into the work and voluntary licensing model of the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP), a United Nations-backed public health organisation.

Following the Stakeholder Event, the afternoon was dedicated to the European IP Helpdesk Ambassador Winter Training and a very special celebration: the 10th anniversary of the European IP Helpdesk Ambassador scheme. The Ambassador scheme is a unique collaboration between the European IP Helpdesk and the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN), uniting over 40 intellectual property (IP) experts from various EEN member organisations across Europe. Initiated a decade ago to enhance IP awareness in different EU regions, the Ambassador scheme plays a vital role in assisting small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in their international efforts by offering valuable resources, guidance, and networking opportunities. “The successful and wide-ranging cooperation between the European IP Helpdesk and the Enterprise Europe Network has become a true success story – not only for the European IP Helpdesk, EEN, EC or EISMEA but above all for our clients: the 25 million SMEs in the European Union-receiving tailor-made services to help them manage their intellectual assets”, said Jörg Scherer, the coordinator of the European IP Helpdesk.

Next to the festivities, the Winter Training featured an overview of the latest Knowledge Valorisation activities of DG Research & Innovation, an update from the European Innovation Council (EIC) programme, as well as a presentation on major outcomes of the Horizon IP Scan service, a pilot initiative of the European Commission aimed at helping SMEs involved in EU-funded projects, which comes to an end in December.