https://www.epo.org/en/about-us/transparency-portal/general/annual-review-2024/driver-2

Key achievements: Driver 2

Technologies

Guided by SP2028, we are committed to leveraging technology to improve efficiency, quality and sustainability. In 2024, our digital transformation journey has been marked by significant advances across various domains.

Throughout the year we focused on simplifying and automating processes, removing dependencies on outdated legacy systems, incorporating secure cloud technologies and ensuring high availability of IT systems.

PGP pipeline

The PGP pipeline aims to improve the PGP to deliver higher quality products and services to our users with increased efficiency.

  • 100% digitalisation of examiner actions and automation of Formality Officers' tasks: We achieved a milestone by delivering 100% digitalisation of examiner actions with digital workflows. We also advanced patent administration digitalisation and improved efficiency by replacing manual efforts with automated processing. For example, the dispatch of "notification of loss of rights" became automated or semi-automated depending on their complexity and in the majority of cases (ca. 50 000 per year), the notification is processed without any human intervention.
  • Modernisation of publication services: We insourced and rebuilt the European Publication Server[1] and the Linked Open EP Data[2] services. As a result, we no longer depend on external providers and discontinued a contract saving EUR 320 000 per year. This also ensures that both services can be sustainably run to the highest standards and further developed as required to meet the changing needs of users.
  • Launch of the Legal Interactive Platform (LIP): The LIP, launched in May 2024, is an AI-based tool that helps users answer queries about the European patent system. It is user-friendly, provides quick, structured search results with summaries and links to legal texts, and can generate summaries from Boards of Appeal case law. By the end of the year, the tool was established internally as a quality source of information and a helpful tool for daily work. For our external stakeholders, the LIP entered pilot phase with one national patent office (NPO) and with pilot users of MyEPO.
  • AI-supported classification: Following successful use of AI in pre-classification and reclassification, in 2024 we introduced AI-supported classification in the majority of technical fields. In addition to reducing manual work and achieving efficiency gains, we have observed benefits in terms of improved accuracy and consistency, ultimately contributing to better quality.
  • Decommissioning of legacy classification tools: The projects undertaken under SP2023 successfully developed a new classification service integrated in the search environment of ANSERA and covering a full range of classification tasks. This allowed the decommissioning of the legacy tools[3], contributing to streamlining and optimisation of the examiner toolset.
  • Improvements to non-patent literature (NPL) search: Introduction of Web Search Assistant extended the search beyond the ANSERA in-house NPL collection and provided seamless access to billions of records from leading scientific and academic publishers. Enhanced access to prior art contributes ultimately to quality of search.
  • Full integration of the standards documents search in ANSERA: Standards have a recognised significance as prior art, especially in the information and communications technology (ICT) sector and the EPO has developed extensive collections of standards, now comprising millions of documents. Thanks to full integration of standards search, examiners can fully rely on ANSERA and benefit from enhanced data quality and modern search practices to leverage this wealth of information.
  • Decommissioning of EPOQUE for internal search and other legacy search tools: These achievements enabled the decommissioning of the legacy applications previously used for NPL search and standards documents search. ANSERA was enhanced with all EPOQUE full-text databases and other specific search functions, and the ANSERA viewer provided ergonomic and performance improvements compared to the legacy viewer. All this enabled us to decommission EPOQUE for internal search at the end of 2024. 

Figure 7 – SP2028 PGP pipeline


[1] The European Publication Server (EPS) is the legally authoritative source of all patent applications and patent specifications published by the EPO. Moreover, the EPS provides free online access to all these documents for research, translation and instant download.

[2] The Linked Open EP Data (LOD) is a service allowing to combine datasets relating to patent applications and granted patents with other resources, such as business data, in a variety of formats, including for presentation on webpages.

[3] Doctool, Clip-on, Classtool, +Cla and REPA

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Corporate pipeline

The Corporate pipeline aims to modernise and simplify systems supporting our corporate functions and ensure that our external and internal IT systems are built on resilient and secure infrastructure.

In 2024, we used technology to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of our HR function with the following actions:

  • Declaration of conflict of interest tool: A single point of entry was introduced to enable staff to declare real, apparent or potential conflicts of interest and request authorisation for supplementary activities. As a result, the process of managing conflicts of interest is much simpler and more transparent, helping staff and the Office to demonstrate integrity, objectivity and impartiality.
  • Tool for follow up of the language skill development: New features were introduced to assist line managers in the follow-up of language learning by staff recruited with language requirements within the first five or ten years of employment. The new tool provides transparency by offering easy access to the up-to-date information.
  • Update of tools to support the refined teleworking policy: Building on the lessons and achievements of the two-years-long NWoW pilot, the Office implemented the teleworking policy endorsed by the AC in June 2024. Our tools were updated to facilitate more effective planning and coordination among colleagues and managers, through information dashboards, promoting a collaborative work environment. Other enhancements support staff to manage their way of working, including integration of booking workplaces and automated reminders for complying with the applicable quotas.

In the areas of Finance and Procurement, we also introduced new means to improve the efficiency of these functions with modern technology:

  • Activity-based budgeting fully implemented: We introduced activity-based budgeting in 2023 and by 2024 we transitioned to this model in our finance and procurement systems, enhancing financial transparency and efficiency. Processes were adjusted for business units to report expenditures by activity, compare them against the budget, and streamline approval workflows. We also launched new expenditure monitoring dashboards, allowing all units to consistently report and monitor their budget consumption.
  • Roll-out of the new procurement tool to all departments: The new procurement tool was made available to all EPO departments involved in purchasing. It enhances efficiency and transparency, and reduces manual work. The tool centralises supplier data, contracts and purchase requisitions, supports electronic signatures and improves the supplier experience through a dedicated portal. It also ensures seamless data integration with financial systems, minimising errors.
  • New e-invoicing solution: At the end of the year, we launched the new e-invoicing solution, allowing us to fulfil our legal obligations while improving the efficiency of our invoice processing workflows.

Additionally, a number of improvements affected all areas of the organisation:

  • Implementation of the Retention Policy in our document management system: To ensure administrative certainty and support long-term sustainability, the Office is dedicated to promoting reliable record management. The new Retention Policy provides a comprehensive framework and is key to our digital transformation and paper reduction efforts. The policy was implemented in the new document management platform and the first review resulted in removal of 77 000 obsolete administrative documents for which the retention period expired.
  • Extension of the EPO Service Request Portal: Initially used only for handling IT-related requests, the platform was expanded to include additional services such as HR requests, facility management and security-related services. The legacy system for handling HR requests was subsequently decommissioned.
  • Evaluation of MS Copilot: In line with our approach to adopt the latest technologies in a prudent manner, we conducted a pilot based on specific and well-controlled use cases of MS Copilot, an AI-powered assistant designed to enhance productivity and streamline tasks within Microsoft 365 applications. Based on this positive outcome we are exploring options for further adoption of MS Copilot in our organisation where it can bring the most benefits.
  • Decommissioning of the legacy data analytics platform: The new open-source data analytics platform was introduced in 2021. After a gradual migration of our data services, it has become the go-to tool for analysts across the Office. The complete transition to the new platform in 2024 allowed us to terminate external contracts for the legacy platform, generating savings of EUR 590 000 per year.

Finally, a number of initiatives will continue to modernise our IT landscape, contributing to a simpler and more sustainable IT function, which ensures high availability and a secure digital environment for the Office:

  • Upgrades to end-user equipment: To enhance our working environment, we installed 1 600 new monitors and other hardware across all sites, creating a more streamlined and modern workspace. This setup mirrors the teleworking setup, making transitions between home and office seamless. Additionally, we provided 3 000 staff with new laptops featuring the latest technology to improve collaboration, performance and ergonomics.
  • Wi-Fi 6 in the Vienna office: We provided faster data transfer speeds, increased capacity, improved power efficiency and better performance in environments with many connected devices in our refurbished building in Vienna.
  • ISO re-certification in the information security area: The 2024 ISO audit confirmed our certification in the information security management areas as well as the successful transition of our framework to the new 2022 version of the ISO27001 standard, which reflects our commitment to maintaining high standards of information security management.

Figure 8 – SP2028 Corporate pipeline

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Online User Engagement pipeline

The Online User Engagement pipeline aims to enhance quality and transparency by providing intuitive online services that cater to the diverse needs of users. We also empower users by extending the range of self-service capabilities.

  • Full release of MyEPO pilot phase 4 features: The April 2024 release of MyEPO services extended the range of replies and requests that users can perform and provided new administrative options, moving us closer to a fully digital PGP. Users can now file amendments to international applications, request free certified copies of documents, manage licences and register transfers of rights. Additionally, users can upload bulk requests and open any public patent application.
  • Full release of MyEPO pilot phase 5 features: The November release of MyEPO services extended workflows by offering a draft saving functionality. The claim refund procedure is now simplified and fully paperless, eliminating the need for refund codes and PINs by post. Moreover, MyEPO design and user empowerment features were enhanced, including granular access rights. In discussion with our user groups, we are working on an overhaul of the starting page of MyEPO and subsequent pages, which will go live in 2025.
  • Business-to-business application programming interfaces (APIs): Recognising that many companies rely on their own IP management systems, we began to develop business-to-business technical interfaces (APIs) to facilitate seamless data exchange between MyEPO services and various IP systems. In 2024, we deployed two new APIs for retrieving and updating Mailbox content and information about applications and for online filing.
  • Discontinuation of incoming faxes: On 1 July, the EPO discontinued accepting submissions by fax. Having stopped sending faxes in March 2023, all fax services relating to EP, PCT and Unitary Patent procedures ceased completely, being replaced by the web-based Online Filing 2.0 and, in emergency cases, the Contingency Upload Service via our website.
  • Decommissioning of the legacy Mailbox, MyFiles and Admin facilities: The legacy Mailbox was taken out of service and replaced by MyEPO Mailbox, which continues to be regularly enriched with more functionalities and offers a multitude of features not available in the legacy system. The MyFiles and Administration facilities services were replaced by MyEPO Portfolio features, allowing easier access to files and file administration.
  • Discontinuation of smartcards: As part of our effort to offer high-quality and secure online services, we introduced two-factor authentication (2FA)[1] for our external users accessing MyEPO. This allowed for gradual phasing out of smartcards, used previously as an authentication mechanism, which were finally disabled on 31 December 2024. The discontinuation of smartcards not only offers our users more secure and convenient authentication methods but also enables savings of approximately EUR 660 000 per year.
  • Decommissioning of Webform filing: To further consolidate our filing tools around Online Filing 2.0, simplifying our IT infrastructure, the Webform filing service was discontinued for document submission.

Figure 9 – SP2028 Online User Engagement pipeline


[1] The two-factor authentication login process involves an additional layer of security in addition to username and password, allowing MyEPO users to choose between phone, email, Google Authenticator or Okta Verify.

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KPIs under driver 2 showed substantial progress in 2024, with three out of five already meeting the long-term SP2028 targets.

Thanks to continuous investments in state-of-the-art tools, ongoing decommissioning of old legacy tools and diligent problem management, the KPIs for internal and external "availability of IT systems" remained consistently well above the expected levels in 2024. As a result, the targets for 2025 will be increased to remain challenging.

The progress made in the transformation and simplification of our processes, as described above, is also reflected in achievements of the relevant KPIs. With 100% of PGP processes digitalised, our focus will turn to the digitalisation of patent administration processes, with a new KPI to be introduced in 2025. On the corporate side, the KPI is making good progress and will continue to assess the level of digitalisation of processes not only in HR and Finance but also in General Administration and other corporate areas.

In January, 15% of classification tasks did not require human intellectual classification. All the efforts to ensure high-quality, efficient and accurate AI-supported classification brought the value of the KPI "Leverage AI" up to 46.7% by the end of the year – on track to reach the 2028 target of 90%.