Patent research grants – call for proposals 2020

Posted on by Haptic

The EPO is pleased to announce a new call for proposals for funding under its Academic Research Programme.

The EPO recognises the importance of high-quality research on patent-related intellectual property (IP) matters to inform policymakers and facilitate sound business decisions in a context where intangible assets, innovation and IP rights have become pivotal in the economy. With this research programme, the EPO seeks in particular to encourage more academic research on the role of patents in the European economy and to promote the dissemination of research results.

Under the programme, grants of up to EUR 100 000 are awarded in respect of selected proposals on patent-related matters. In the last three years the EPO ARP has attracted 154 research project proposals from 21 European countries. Of these proposals, eleven have been awarded a grant. In 2019 a further four were selected for EPO support. The results of the first six projects and video statements of the researchers and the EPO ARP Team are now available.

The 2020 call for projects addresses the following thematic areas spanning various disciplines including economics, IP management, and data sciences:

  • Measuring the impact of patents on innovation
  • The role of IP in technology transfer, commercialisation, and/or investment activities
  • Patent services and intermediaries
  • Patents and the IP bundle
  • Patents and disruptive technologies (AI, Blockchain, 3D, etc.)
  • Impact of public policy and the regulatory landscape on the use of patents by SMEs and PROs across Europe
  • Patents and climate change mitigation technologies
  • Advanced use of PATSTAT, patent searching, and analytics (e.g. classification, potential of IP linked open data)

The deadline for receipt of proposals is 16 June 2020.

Apply for a grant:

Source: EPO