World IP Day 2021

Property rights essential in dealing with the climate crisis

On 26/04 more than 180 experts discussed the significance of property rights for green future-technologies. The online event was organised by aws

The question of how you can counteract the effects of climate change has been the focus of global attention for some years. To achieve the goals of the EU Green Deal or even the Paris Agreement, the development and utilisation of resource-efficient, green technologies are of great significance.

These green technologies are however, likewise essential for innovation in Austria. How the intellectual property behind it can be both protected and utilised was therefore at the forefront of this year’s World IP Day because of its great strategic significance. The event is being organised by aws on behalf of the National Contact Point for Intellectual Property (NCP-IP) and will be held entirely online for the first time this year.

Research, innovation protection and technology transfer are tightly interlinked

The great significance of knowledge transfer, and the protection and use of intellectual property have been emphasised in the welcome statements of the relevant ministers. The NCP-IP is operated on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research of Austria (BMBWF), the Federal Ministry of Digital and Economic Affairs (BMDW) and the Federal Ministry of Climate Action, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology (BMK). The operative implementation is performed by aws and FFG.

“The NCP-IP - the National Contact Point for Knowledge Transfer and Intellectual Property, which is organising today’s event, plays an important role in the professionalisation of knowledge and technology transfer. With a view to environmental and climate technologies, we will actively continue to drive this exchange and, in doing so, continue to develop the pioneering role of Austrian research facilities and enterprises in sustainable technologies”, says Climate Protection Minister Leonore Gewessler.

Economics Minister Margarete Schramböck emphasised, above all, the importance of property rights for the use of intellectual property in her message, “innovation protection is a global competitive factor and competitive advantage, above all for SMEs and start-ups. Intellectual property rights form the basis for successful and efficient knowledge and technology transfer, and more enterprise start-ups”.

The faster transfer of results from science to business is a focus for the Minister of Science Heinz Faßmann. “The increase in efficacy of research presents an essential core. We must succeed in continuing to optimise the transfer of knowledge and technology, and in future we must transfer research result stronger and faster into innovations and successful, academic spin-offs.”

Renowned speakers on the Green Deal and IP strategies in practice

The key notes highlighted the significance of property rights this year from very different perspectives. Davide Follador from the European Commission spoke in his piece on the significance of property rights for the Green Deal. Julia Mathe from the Austrian Patent Office showed the current trends in applications of green patents in Austria.

Ingrid Kelly Spillmann from IST Cube explained successful IP strategies for spin-offs. Contributions from the start-ups, Volterio and Vienna Textile Lab, highlighted the property rights strategies from practice. The programme was rounded off by a panel discussion regarding the importance of co-operations and open innovation in the development of green technologies.

Online event enables active exchange

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the event this year was delivered entirely online. In doing so, more than 180 experts took part in the discussions and contributed to a top-class exchange on the matter of property rights. Both the event organisers, aws and IV Bilanz, were particularly pleased with the event.

“Turnover for enterprises with clear property rights and utilisation strategies has increased by 32 %, they pay 20 % higher wages and employ six-times the number of employees. The World IP Day was able to move this significance clearer into focus and show the opportunities of utilisation of property rights within the field of green technologies. As aws, we support enterprises in the development of viable IP strategies. Since this year, we also support enterprises on behalf of the climate protection ministry in the thematic focus of Green IP, and look forward to many new projects”, says aws managing director, Edeltraud Stiftinger.

“With its innovation, the industry is a more important part of the solution for climate protection”, emphasised the Vice-General Secretary of the Federation of Austrian Industry (IV), Claudia Mischensky. Effective property rights are therefore essential for innovative enterprises - also so that Austria is among the global players in the field of research, technology and innovation.

Mariana Karepova, President of the Austrian Patent Office, emphasised the significance of green technologies for the Austrian economy: “6 – 12 % of applications for European patents are green. Austria particularly stands out here with patents in the fields of buildings and the manufacture of goods. We are very pleased to be a partner again this year in the World IP Day Event and to be speaking about the developments of patent applications in this important economic sector.”

Property rights to save the climate: Innovate for a green future

No other subject, other than the pandemic, has been at the forefront of global attention so much in the last few years as climate change. Countries worldwide have set ambitious targets to prevent climatic collapse. In doing this, new technologies play a leading role: wind turbines, solar energy systems, electric cars, meat from a 3D printer - technologies like this contribute to the protection of resources and the environment. Current OECD analyses show the great significance for these developments that industrial property rights play: Over a third of innovation-active enterprises of environmental-technological business register patents and brands. Environmental management, sustainable traffic, energy technologies and sustainable construction are important focal points in the applications at the European Patent Office over the last few years. This property rights aid in using innovations economically and are an essential incentive for new developments.

On 26/04 more than 180 experts discussed the significance of property rights for green future-technologies. The event took place entirely online for the first time.

AGENDA:

• 14:00 Welcome: Edeltraud Stiftinger, Managing Director of Austria Wirtschaftsservice and Claudia Mischensky, Vice-General Secretary of the Federation of Austrian Industry
• 14:10 Video welcome: Federal Minister Leonore Gewessler
• 14:15 Significance of innovation protection for the Green Deal: Davide Follardor, DG Grow, European Commission (in English)
• 14:35 Patent applications in the fields of green technologies: Julia Mathe, Austrian Patent Office
• 14:45 Video welcome: Federal Minister Margarete Schramböck
• 14:50 Best Practice enterprises: Andreas Zlodnjak Volterio
• 15:10 Best Practice enterprises: Karin Fleck, Vienna Textile Lab
• 15:30 Break with accompanying film
• 15:45 Video welcome: Federal Minister Heinz Faßmann
• 15:50 Successful IP strategies for academic spin-offs: Ingrid Kelly Spillmann, Principal IST Cube
• 16:05 Panel discussion: The significance of co-operations and Open Innovation in the development of green technologies
  • Daniel Alge, President of the Austrian Patent Office Chamber
  • Roderich Braun, Managing Director, BRAUN dismantling technologies
  • Karin Dögl, research service, Universität für Bodenkultur, Vienna,
  • Bernhard Puttinger, Management, Green Tech Cluster Steiermark
  • Elvira Welzig, Head of Department, aws property rights management
• 17:00 End 

VIDEO FOR VIEWING

PRESENTATIONS

• Significance of innovation protection for the Green Deal: Davide Follardor, DG Grow, European Commission 
• Patent applications in the fields of green technologies: Julia Mathe, Austrian Patent Office
• Andreas Zlodnjak , CSO Volterio
• Ingrid Kelly Spillmann, Principal IST Cube
• Roderich Braun, Managing Director, BRAUN dismantling technologies

MORE INFORMATION

• It is not only the environment that needs protecting, but your environmental technology does too: “awsGreen.IP” will support you with this! www.aws.at/aws-innovationsschutz
• Gain an overview of the IP protective options and relevant funding in a discussion with aws experts.  www.aws.at/aws-innovationsschutz/ip-termin
• Since 19 March 2021 the EIC tendering opened up in Horizon Europe, whereby there is a focus again on “Green Deal innovations for the Economic Recovery”. More information on EIC can be found here: https://www.ffg.at/europa/heu/eic