12 May 2023
The EPO held the PATLIB2023 conference in Tallinn on
11 and 12 May. Organised in co-operation with the Estonian Patent Office, the
hybrid event was attended onsite and online by more than 1 600 participants
from 75 countries. In addition, the proceedings of the opening day were
streamed on EPO social media channels, attracting a further 2 000 viewers.
In his welcome address, EPO President António
Campinos emphasized the importance of the event in the light of the success of
the PATLIB 2.0 project, which is soon to conclude. He highlighted the key
achievements of the project, starting with the initial steps
towards the digital transformation of the
network, which will have a significant
impact on its reach and effectiveness.
He went on to talk about the upskilling of the
network in the area of technology transfer, including thanks to a technology
transfer accreditation training programme, supported by the European Patent Academy.
President Campinos also acknowledged the robust collaborations maintained with
various innovation and technology transfer networks in Europe and beyond.
Last but not least, he greeted the progress made
with the Knowledge Transfer to Africa initiative to foster innovation and technology transfer at
18 African universities, soon to be extended to 60 universities across the
African continent. “Considering these achievements, we
can be proud when we say that together we have digitised, professionalised,
harmonised and even internationalised our network”, the President concluded.
President Campinos also announced the continued
support of the EPO in taking the network into the next phase of the EPO’s
Strategic Plan to 2028 and invited all conference participants to participate
in the public consultation by 15 May.
The conference kick-started with a keynote presentation on
the impact that artificial intelligence (AI) and the metaverse will have on
innovation and intellectual property (IP). This was followed by a lively panel
discussion on AI and IP. Further presentations and discussions reflected the outstanding
achievements of the PATLIB network. There were in-depth updates on work with
network partners as well as the benefits of collaboration with African
universities and promoting innovation and technology transfer.
Finally, Margus Viher, Director General of the
Estonian Patent Office, wrapped up the event by underlining how everyone present
in person in Tallinn and all those attending online from all over world had
increased not only their level of knowledge, but also their level of happiness,
by joining the first ever hybrid PATLIB conference.
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