Talk innovation: unlocking technology

Thanks to Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic, scientists now have a precise method to grow heart, lung, skeletal and vascular tissue for transplants, disease modelling, or drug testing. The Popular Prize winner at the European Inventor Award 2021 spoke to IP journalist James Nurton about her career, mentoring students, and advancements in tissue engineering. Read more about Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic

How can technology reverse climate change? Icelandic innovators are collaborating worldwide and using their geological know-how to tackle humankind’s greatest challenge. Intellectual property attorney María Kristjánsdóttir (LEX / GH Sigurgeirsson IP) and Bergur Sigfússon (head of CO2 capture and injection, CarbFix) discuss carbon capture and how IP can facilitate planet-saving partnerships.

The rate at which plastics are produced (about 50 million tonnes per year) is outpacing our ability to manage the resulting waste. New technologies will help us all to better reduce, reuse and recycle plastics. Patent examiners Wibke Meiser and Maxime Dossin are two of the co-authors of the EPO’s latest study that reveals the innovation trends in chemical and biological recycling, as well as the g...

This is the remarkable story of how four female researchers from a Turkish university laboratory secured market success for their new product to treat chronic wounds. It is told by Evren, one of the researchers and a co-founder of the spin-off company Dermis Pharma, and Mustafa, the university’s commercialisation manager. They reveal how a collaborative approach to commercialising patented technol...

Henrik Lindström and Giovanni Fili pioneered a new type of solar cell that can even harvest electricity indoors. Their invention enables self-charging devices and highlights the role of technology in combatting climate change. For their work, the Swedish innovators received the European Inventor Award in the Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) category in 2021. IP journalist James Nurton mod...

Physicist Karl Leo tells us how his doped OLEDs transformed electronics and could contribute towards a more sustainable future. He also offers inspiring advice to young innovators and provides a fascinating look at his career. Leo won the European Inventor Award in Lifetime achievement in 2021. This episode is moderated by James Nurton.  Read more about Karl Leo

Moderator: Rachel Free, Partner at CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang in London, UK Guests: Matteo Maccagnan, Partner at Studio Torta S.p. A. in Bologna, Italy and Minna Alarcon, Senior Patent Counsel at Henkel AG in Düsseldorf, Germany Meeting virtually for an after-work chat in the European Patent Bar , three patent attorneys discuss their experiences of oral proceedings in opposition by videoc...

Moderator: James Nurton, IP journalist Guests: Marjorie Chopinaud and Miguel Angel Ruiz Ferrer, EPO Nominations are open for the European Inventor Award 2022 and both the public and inventors may want to learn how to submit a proposal for Europe’s foremost innovation prize. In this episode, listeners will go behind the scenes with two EPO patent examiners as they discuss the nomination process, hi...

Moderator: Stephanie Weber, Communication Manager, European IP Helpdesk Guests: Brian Caulfield, Inventor and Professor of Physiotherapy, University College Dublin; Ciaran O’Beirne, Head of Knowledge Transfer, University College Dublin Stress-induced urinary incontinence affects almost 400 million people worldwide. A novel device to treat this condition through electro-stimulation of muscles was d...

Moderator : Stephanie Weber, Communication Manager, European IP Helpdesk Guests : Andreas Martsman, co-founder and VP Marketing & Sales at Oxeon, Caroline Pamp, IP professional, Legal advisor of Oxeon Following research at the Chalmers University of Technology (Sweden), the start-up company Oxeon was founded in 2003 to commercialise an innovative textile production process. The resulting mater...

Moderator : James Nurton, IP journalist Guest: Sumita Mitra, European Inventor Award 2021 winner, Non-EPO countries Description: This pioneering inventor was the first to successfully use nanotechnology to create dental fillings. Despite their minute size, nanoparticles create many challenges for scientists. In this episode, Sumita Mitra tells us how she overcame these obstacles to develop a filli...

Moderator: James Nurton, IP journalist Guests: Robert N. Grass and Wendelin Stark, European Inventor Award 2021 winners, Research By encoding digital data on to DNA strands and encapsulating them within protective glass particles, the inventors developed an error-proof method to store data for millennia. But archival use is just the tip of the iceberg: their robust technique can be used as a finge...

Moderator: James Nurton, IP journalist Guest: Per Gisle Djupesland, European Inventor Award 2021 winner While sitting on an aeroplane, the Norwegian ENT specialist began to think about airflow when he had a game-changing idea. It led to a device that significantly improves nasal drug delivery, a company with a growing global footprint, and a European Inventor Award in the Industry category. Read m...

Moderator: Nigel Clarke, expert in patent information, EPO Guest: Stéphane Lumineau, patent examiner, EPO Robots have often been portrayed in science fiction as posing a threat to humans. Today, robots and robotic manipulators are indispensable to industry, and increasingly used in services and domestic settings too. Meet Stéphane Lumineau to learn more about roboethics, the role of artificial int...

Moderator: Susana Sánchez Barrio, European Patent Academy Guest: Nigel Clarke, expert in patent information, EPO (retired) Emerging technologies are constantly reshaping our daily technospace and taking it to the next level. From the old bulky TV sets to the modern flatscreen displays, Nigel Clarke has witnessed many of these level upgrades firsthand! Join him to learn more about technological tre...

Moderator: Abderrahim Moumen, director in patent examination, EPO Guest: Günter Hein, Chairman of the Executive Board, Munich Aerospace The Galileo satellite navigation system already provides world-leading accuracy and is only at the Initial Operational Capability stage, with 22 active satellites in orbit. In the years ahead, the system will be improved so that it can offer a full range of servic...

Moderator: Nigel Clarke, expert in patent information, EPO Guest: Orla Feeney, patent examiner, EPO Scientists’ understanding of the properties and behaviour of light has hugely benefited our everyday lives. Meet Orla Feeny to learn how optics can help keep your finances safe, support you while driving and of course provide extraordinary views of a clear night sky!

Moderator: James Nurton, IP journalist Guests: Helen Lee, CEO Diagnostics for the real world, European Inventor Award 2021 jury chair; Wolfgang Heckl, Director General Deutsches Museum The European Inventor Award celebrates creativity and honours those who are developing solutions to pressing global issues. In this episode, we speak to two jury members who provide unique insight into the selection...

Moderator: Jeremy Philpott, Communications Manager, EPO Guests: Yann Ménière, Chief Economist at the EPO and Nick Johnstone, Chief Statistician at the International Energy Agency (IEA) The latest joint study from the EPO and IEA into low-carbon energy (LCE) technologies shows the urgent need for more innovation to respond to climate change. Many of the technologies we will need to meet carbon neut...

Moderator: Nigel Clarke, expert in patent information, EPO Guest: Haider Al-Taie, Team Manager Electric Vehicles, EPO Electric transportation is key to cutting pollution and creating a greener world. Meet Haider Al-Taie to learn more about this rapidly evolving field and how advances in infrastructure and electric vehicles can take it to the next level!

Moderator: Abderrahim Moumen, director in examination, EPO Guest: José Ángel Ávila Rodríguez, GNSS Evolutions Signal and Security Principal Engineer, European Space Agency The novel coronavirus pandemic has presented several problems, not least of which is tracking the spread of a virus that cannot be seen by the naked eye. José Ángel Ávila Rodríguez, co-inventor of the radio signals in the Galile...

Moderator: Regula von Eggelkraut-Gottanka, Team Manager Proteins and Analysis, EPO Guests: John Elvesjö and Mårten Skogö  John Elvesjö and Mårten Skogö are an intellectual property success story. Their patented eye-tracking technology helped them found garage start-up and grow it to a stock-exchange listed company. Today, they are venture capitalists who are guiding a new generation of compan...

Moderator : Jeremy Philpott, Communications Manager, EPO Guest : Norbert Wienold, EPO patent examiner in digital technologies and classification expert Digital technologies are on the rise – from 5G to AI to the “internet of things”. The fields of digital communications and computer technology comprised over 15% of all patent filings to the EPO last year according to our recently published Patent...

Moderator: Jeremy Philpott, Communications Manager, EPO Guests: Elsie Cielen, pharmaceuticals expert, and Fredrik Aslund, biotechnology expert; Examiners’ Team Managers at the EPO Innovation in healthcare and life sciences is more important than ever before. The fields of medical technology, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology comprised over 16.7% of all patent filings to the EPO last year according...

Moderator: Jeremy Philpott, Communications Manager, EPO Guests: Aidan Kendrick, Chief Business Analyst, EPO, and Yann Ménière, Chief Economist, EPO The EPO’s new Patent Index 2020 reports on the latest trends in patent filings to the EPO. Which companies were filing more, or fewer, patent applications, where were they from, and who was top of the rankings? What were the big technology trends last...