Zum Inhalt springen
News

NCP-IP World IP Day 2022: Around 150 people took part in the largest Austrian networking event for the topic: Innovation Protection

This year’s World IP Day Event, organised by NCP-IP, provided a curtain call for women in the sector of innovation protection and with this showed the great significance of intellectual property.

Women currently patent less, there are fewer female patent attorneys, fewer female patent engineers. As a result, the correct protection and the strategy utilisation of intellectual property not only form the basis for successful enterprises, however they are an important guarantor for a sustainable, competitive innovation and economic location. Functioning intellectual property (IP) strategies contribute decisively to the functioning circulation of knowledge and technology between universities, public research facilities and enterprises, thus contributing to the quick translation of research results to the economy.

Subject to these prerequisites, it is crucial for the innovation location to use the full potential. Therefore, the NCP-IP World IP Day this year has brought women within this professional field to the forefront. In exciting keynotes and discussion, the successful recipe for innovation protection and the possible hurdles have been intensively discussed. With this, it was not only the importance of the protection of ideas that was highlighted, but also the possible job descriptions within this field, in particular for women, were extensively presented.

The event for World IP Day was organised 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) by NCP-IP, the national contact point for intellectual property in the open knowledge transfer. The operative implementation was performed by aws.

Research, innovation protection and technology transfer are tightly interlinked

The objective of innovation protection in Austria and therefore also the NCP-IP is clear. Barbara Weitgruber, Head of Department of the BMBWF emphasised: “Our aim is to utilise new knowledge and technologies to the maximum, to guarantee well-functioning value-added chains, and to double the number of economically successful academic spin-offs by 2030. We are currently well on track. As a result, it is especially the service agreements of the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research with research facilities and universities that contribute to further increasing the efficacy of research results through the consistent implementation of IP and utilisation strategies and the targeted increase of spin-offs. Simultaneously, the potential of women must be better utilised and made visible, because highly-qualified women are indispensable in the innovation process.”

For the Deputy Head of Department Stefan Buchinger, BMDW, the increase in the number of female founders is also a very crucial aim. “Intellectual property rights form the basis for successful and efficient knowledge and technology transfer, and simultaneously more enterprise start-ups”. In doing so at the BMDW, already some funding-relevant measures have been met, including an accompanying IP consultation for the start-up programmes Preseed and Seedfinancing, aws First Inkuator and the internationalisation programme GIN. Since 2022, funding advertisers of aws Preseed and Seedfinancing have also had a higher finance available to start-up teams in which there is at least one woman with more than a 25 % stake in the enterprise.”

“The NCP-IP plays a very important role in the further distribution of knowledge and technology in Austria. The economic, innovative and technology location of Austria is characterised by female entrepreneurs, founders, managers and researchers, and I am therefore really pleased to make so many women in so many exciting professional fields visible here today”, Henriette Spyra, Head of Department of BMK, joyfully highlighted.

Intellectual property rights and their protection are still less attractive to women despite the fact that nowadays they are often the prerequisite to a successful company foundation. As a result, property rights pay out, above all, if you consider the positive balance of this innovative enterprise. “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. As aws, we not only accompany enterprises with financial support from their first idea through to international market success, but we also accompany them in the development of viable IP strategies. For many enterprises this is a crucial success factor”, says aws Manager Edeltraud Stiftinger.

Hybrid event enables active exchange

“We have a gender problem with patenting. Patents continue to be the known “leaky pipeline” for women in research: There are more female graduates than male graduates, however less women go to HTL. Almost 40 % of all researchers at university are women, however in enterprises, where the most patents are registered, this is just 16 %. And in then end, it is just 7 % of all patent applications with the Austrian Patent Office that are female.” says Mariana Karepova, President of the Austrian Patent Office: “Realistic role models, better working conditions for women and for men in research, real mentoring and support for women with men as allies - these are some of the puzzle pieces for a solution.”

Within the framework of the World IP Days, a great deal of attention was not least paid to the networks of the sector, which should also enable women to prospectively network better with one another. In another discussion round, the economical aspects of women in IP were also discussed. Central to this was the question of how can women be given more courage to invest more in the protection of intellectual property right and to found more enterprises.

Launch of new NCP-IP website and Curtain Call for Women in IP

On 25/4 the brand new NCP-IP website was launched. Make 1 from 3! To present the different offers available from the national contact point for intellectual property in open knowledge transfer (NCP-IP) as clear as possible, the information and services of the three sites: IPAG, Fair Open Innovation and NCP-IP were consolidated to the site address www.ncp-ip.at. Whether it be the extensive sample contracts of IPAG, Open Innovation Toolbox or the other events and information about IP in the open knowledge transfer, here you have a good, clear overview on one site.

To also bring women into the light and to provide better networking opportunities, a section has also been generated for this on the NCP-IP website. 55 women present themselves and their personal thoughts on the matter of IPR. Also starting this year is the NCP-IP’s own women network. The launch date for this women’s network is 21/06/2022 at the Austrian Research Promotion Agency.

https://www.ncp-ip.at/services/frauen-in-ip

About NCP-IP (www.ncp-ip.at)

Functioning IP strategies contribute decisively to the functioning circulation of knowledge and technology between universities, public research facilities and enterprises, thus contributing to the quick translation of research results to the economy. Regular exchange, which is guaranteed by the national contact point for intellectual property (NCP-IP) with events, among other things, is crucial to this.

With the objective to support and professionalise knowledge transfer at a national level, the Austrian federal government submitted the NCP-IP in 2010. The national contact point 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.

More information: www.ncp-ip.at

About Austria Wirtschaftsservice GmbH (aws)

The Austria Wirtschaftsservice GmbH (aws) is the promotional bank of the federal government. With the awarding of lower interest rate credit, guarantees, grants and equity capital, it support enterprises from the first idea, through to market success in the implementation of their innovative projects. aws also provides advice and support for the protection and use of intellectual property. Additionally, specific information, consultation, service provisions are offered for prospective, existing and expanding enterprises.

Enquiries & contact:

Austria Wirtschaftsservice Gesellschaft mbH
Enterprise communication
Wolfgang Drucker
Tel. 01 501 75-331
Email w.drucker@aws.at
www.aws.at

Go to top