Providing Training and Capacity Building The European Patent Academy Heidrun Krestel, EPO, European Affairs, Member States May 2010

What is the European Patent Academy?  The European Patent Academy is the external training and education arm of the European Patent Office (EPO).  Its mission is to promote and support patent-related IP training in Europe.  Based at the EPO's Munich site, the Academy works in partnership with other organisations to complement existing training initiatives in current and future member states of the European Patent Organisation.

Objectives  To foster the development and harmonisation of patent-related training in the EPO member states  To promote equal access to training opportunities in the member states  To strengthen co-operation between the EPO and the national patent offices  To improve the skills and knowledge of the users of the European patent system and in doing so to contribute to Europe's capacity for innovation

6 activity areas Institutional Strengthening Innovation Support Professional Representatives Academia Judicial Training Technical Projects / Material & Media

Institutional Strengthening What the unit does:  Implements training activities which are aimed at building up the European patent network (EPN) and designed in particular for national patent office staff and others working with IP in the public sector.  Implements training activities within the framework of the EPO’s co-operation with non-member states, on behalf of the International Affairs directorate.

From the work plan 2010

Innovation Support What the unit does:  Supports innovation in Europe by providing business, industry and SMEs with training events and products relating to IP creation, strategy and management (including patent information).  Runs projects in partnership with other institutions having access to key audiences, especially business advisors and other important multipliers of IP-related messages.

Professional Representatives What the unit does:  Promotes and supports the preparation of candidates for the European qualifying examination in co-operation with the Institute of Professional Representatives before the European Patent Office (epi) and other training providers.  Promotes and supports further training for qualified professional representatives.

Academia What the unit does:  Extends IP teaching beyond law faculties.  Facilitates the introduction of IP content in university curricula.  Establishes minimum standards and essential elements for IP training.  Supports academic initiatives relating to IP.

Judicial Training What the unit does:  Creates a common level of understanding of patent law issues among judges in the EPO member states.  Supports and develops training initiatives aimed at harmonising patent enforcement and litigation practice in Europe

Technical Projects/Materials & Media What the unit does:  Provides services for all other Academy units, including support for e-learning, communication, public relations and marketing.

What the Academy offers  International symposia, seminars and workshops  also tailor made upon request  Publications  Study visits  Web-based platform for online training  Distance-learning and e-learning tools and materials  Online library

Our partners  World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)  Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (OHIM)  National patent offices of the contracting states to the EPC  Institute of Professional Representatives before the EPO (epi)  Confederation of European Business (BusinessEurope), formerly known as the Union des Industries de la Communauté européenne (UNICE)  Centre d'Etudes Internationales de la Propriété Industrielle (CEIPI)  Max Planck Institute for Intellectual Property, Competition and Tax Law (MPI)  EIPIN  Fraunhofer Society  Licensing Executives Society

IP event calendar

e-learning

Thank you very much for your attention