Say "Hello" to …!
Our regional IP Ambassadors put all our resources at your disposal, thus supporting your IP inquiries in your own language and helping you to integrate IP into your business strategies. Every month, we introduce you to one of our Ambassadors, telling you a little more about their work and views on IP.
June 2023: Fanny Koleva
"As IP Ambassador, it is very challenging to try to make SMEs aware of that IP should be considered before going to market as “later” is sometimes inevitably late, e.g. for patents, as far as novelty can be destroyed with market release, or other problems as imitations can arise, which can be harder to address without IP."
May 2023: Björn Jürgens
"In our region the importance of protecting their intellectual assets via intellectual property rights is unfortunately still not very well understood and thus I think that one of our main challenges as ambassadors together with my other colleagues from the development agency is to increase the awareness amongst the SMEs."
April 2023: Serhat Dalkılıç
"The intellectual property issue is a hot topic in Türkiye. Most people are not aware of the importance of IP in our country, so we mostly spend our time on disseminating knowledge and provide related trainings."
March 2023: Tomasz Łyżwiński
"In my opinion basic IP awareness is still the biggest issue in Poland and the importance of IP protection is not sufficiently understood. Also, one of the major challenges SMEs face with regard to IP is the cost of patent protection abroad."
February 2023: Christina Deyl
"SMEs and startups are often not aware of the importance of IP for their business success and for being competitive enough to master all the current crises. My main task as Internationalization Advisor is to support regional SMEs, startups or research institutes to go international and to strengthen their competitiveness since IP is always an important issue on this path."
January 2023: Emilie Marcelet
"IP is a common issue in all stages of innovative projects and my main responsibility is to provide IP support to the companies, especially to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in their research and innovation projects. Most of the SMEs are not aware of the importance of IP and the benefits of having a relevant IP strategy."
December 2022: James Walsh, Ireland
"Without doubt, what I like the most about being an European IP Helpdesk Ambassador is the range of entrepreneurial companies that I support – one day I can be advising a movie animation company or a smart textile company, and the following week a quantum computing company or offshore wind energy company."
November 2022: Simon Horoz, Germany
"I had a special passion for technology and patent management from the very beginning, so I was constantly striving to further my education in this field. This is why I became a patent engineer and completed my dissertation in the field of innovation and patent management. As a European IP Helpdesk Ambassador I can efficiently support SME in their patent and technology protection and development."
October 2022: Merit Fimberg-Espuch, Estonia
"There is a lack of awareness about IP and IP rights in Estonia. That has been also one of my main tasks being an IP ambassador in Estonia, to raise the awareness, through publishing different articles in our Chamber’s communication channels, organizing awareness raising events and educating our SMEs."
September 2022: Donata Folesani, Italy
"Often SMEs and start-ups do not know how to properly use and manage IP to benefit their business. In many cases, simply because they are unaware that they actually have IP assets. In other terms, they do not consider and integrate IP into their business strategy."
June 2022: Tamara Čolić Milosavljević, Serbia
"Exchanging information on challenges, experiences and goals with other ambassadors, allows me to gain new insights that I may not have otherwise thought of, and in combination with gained knowledge, significantly improves the quality of support I provide to others."
June 2021: Pedro Uceda, Spain
"For me, it has always been important that researchers and SMEs understand that the registration of an industrial property title is not the end itself, but can help the company to obtain an adequate return on the innovations it generates."
May 2021: Estrella Alcón, Spain
"As Spanish companies strive to invest in innovation, they must learn more about Technology Transfer in both directions: to benefit from the innovative products and services they produce, and to acquire those that will help them to grow their business faster."
April 2021: Costas Troulos, Greece
"Estimating the value of an IPR, i. e. how much the innovation is worth, is of paramount importance for an enterprise in developing their business strategy, speaking with investors, or negotiating a licensing agreement."
February 2021: Daniel M. Vasconcelos, Portugal
"SMEs need to have a strategy and to be ready to compete in a global market where intangible assets are a must-have. Resources at SMEs are limited, but entrepreneurs should protect the critical aspects of their technologies that support their business model in their most important market(s)."
January 2021: Idil Buse Kok Hazer, Turkey
"Some SMEs have insufficient knowledge about the (possible) impact of IP rights, how IP can be used as an asset and an advantage against their competitors. Plus, they seem to ignore the importance of an IP for the future of their businesses."
December 2020: Udo Gennari, Austria
"As a European IP Helpdesk Ambassador, I can tap into the knowledge of colleagues, provide my own experience, and enjoy top-notch IP training by the European Patent Office (EPO) and the EU Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO)."
November 2020: Alexandru Marin, Romania
"Unfortunately, too many SMEs still understand IPR expenditures as costs instead of investments. When benefiting from public funding or working with large companies, SMEs should be encouraged to include IP assets in their business models."
October 2020: Hicham Abghay, Germany
"The network is the largest swarm intelligence dedicated to supporting SMEs in their innovation journey."
September 2020: Marco Gorini, Italy
"Being part of this group allows me to exchange with the other Ambassadors on a daily basis, comparing the different IP business strategies and approaches working in their countries and to share these precious insights with my local SMEs interested to enter these markets."
July 2020: Mustafa Çakır, Turkey
"Being a European IP Helpdesk Ambassador is having the privilege to access an extensive network of high-profile IP experts around Europe. I am really happy to be part of this prestigious IP network and very pleased to be able to help Turkish SMEs and universities solve their IP problems in Turkey."
June 2020: Vaclav Suchý, Czech Republic
"To me, being a European IP Helpdesk Ambassador is a prestigious and responsible task, which perfectly synergises with my other IPR-related activities."
May 2020: Anna Sangiorgi, Italy
"From my experience I can say that IP is still a fairly neglected topic. There is still the idea that IP is exclusively a problem of patents and protection and sometimes of trademark registration. There is no awareness of the whole breadth of the subject."
April 2020: Ivan Štefanić, Croatia
"Being a European IP Helpdesk Ambassador provides several benefits: state of the art training, possibility to cooperate with peers, and best of all, providing assistance through the Enterprise Europe Network to clients who cannot afford professional IP assistance or do not have adequate counselors in their vicinity, which is fairly often the case in less developed areas."