On Tuesday, 16 March 2010 the European Patent Academy, an instrument of the European Patent Office, NL Patent Agency, the Belgian Intellectual Property Office (a service under the Belgian Federal Public Service of Economy) and the IP Office Luxemburg organized the workshop “Disseminating IP knowledge and developing IP expertise at universities” in Rijswijk, the Netherlands.

This workshop offered a platform for debate on how to encourage and extend knowledge on IP at all levels of academia and beyond. This day contributed to the powerful value of intellectual property ( IP ) to everyone working or studying at a university. After the workshop the organisation of the workshop promised to draw up a Road Map with recommendations to integrate IP education in Dutch, Belgian and Luxembourgian universities’ curricula. As soon as this Road Map is completed all participants will be informed automatically by email.

Speakers at the workshop came from prestigious European universities, from the European Patent Academy and from the Dutch, Belgian und Luxembourgian patent offices. Deans and professors of universities presented their perspectives and their plans for the future. The approx. 100 participants had plenty of opportunity to discuss the subject and exchanged theirs points of views.

Download here the presentations given by the (key note) speakers – in order of appearance of the programme. A summary of the seminar will be available later this week.

Programme

Keynote speeches

Creation of IP culture in universities & advantages of universities having an IP culture

Sybolt Noorda, President, Association of Universities in The Netherlands (VSNU)
Robert Pitkethly, Senior member, Oxford Intellectual Property Research Centre, Oxford University, UK

Session I: IP development and TTO landscape at European universities

Chair: Lex Kaufhold, Director, Ministry of the Economy and Foreign, Intellectual Property Office, Luxembourg.

• The importance of IPR in cooperation between companies and universities

  Poul E. de Haan, IP Counsel, European Patent Attorney, Philips Intellectual Property & Standards, Eindhoven, The Netherlands

• Science-Based Business and Technology Transfer

  Harmen Jousma, Programme Director Science-Based Business, Leiden University, The Netherlands

• Current practice by a Benelux university on technology transferoffices, IP development and teaching

  An Van den broecke, Innovation Manager, UGent TechTransfer, Ghent University, Belgium

• Turning technology into business

  Dap Hartmann, Assistant Professor, Faculty Technology, Policy and Management, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands

Session II: Experiences in IP teaching in Europe

Chair: Willem Hoyng, Professor, Faculty of Law, Tilburg University, and attorney-at-law at Howrey, The Netherlands

• IP in technology management and in economics curricula

  Paul Beije, Associate Professor, Rotterdam School of Management, The Netherlands

• IP in science and engineering curricula for a better science-industry relationship (the university and R&D centre perspectives)

  Nicole Antheunis, CLP, Patent Manager, University of Liege, Belgium
  Vincent Ryckaert,European Patent Attorney, IP Business Director, IMEC, Leuven, Belgium
  

• EU activities in the field of IP and knowledge

  Audrey Goosen, DG Research, Unit C.2 - Private Investment Platforms, European Commission

Session III: Integration of IP education in Benelux universities curricula (Road map)

Chair: Noel Campling, Director, European Patent Academy, European Patent Office

After the presentation of objectives and issues to be addressed by the Road Map by Willem Hoyng:

Three parallel sessions on challenges for universities

• I. Challenges for law faculties

  Experts:Alain Strowel, Professor, University Faculties of Saint-Louis (Brussels), University of Liege, Munich Intellectual Property Law Centre, and attorney-at-law, Covington & Burling LLP
  Charles-Henry Massa, Associate Researcher, University of Liege,Belgium
  Anselm Kamperman Sanders, Professor, University Maastricht, The Netherlands

• II. Challenges for business faculties

  Experts: Vincent Ryckaert, European Patent Attorney, IP Business Director IMEC, Leuven, Belgium
  Erik Stam, Associate Professor, Utrecht University, The Netherlands expert business - presentatie erik stam.pdf no powerpoint presentations)

• III. Challenges for engineering and science faculties

  Experts:Nicole Antheunis, CLP, Patent Manager, University of Liege, Belgium
  Ronald van den Oetelaar, IP Manager, Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands

• 16.45 Panel discussion: How to further promote the integration of IP education in Benelux universities™ curricula
• 17.15 Closing remarks by the chair: Noel Campling, Director, European Patent Academy,European Patent Office