PATLIB Conference 2026

Welcoming speech

Welcome by moderator:
Diego Eguidazu Alonso, Chief Information Officer, European Patent Office

Welcome address:
António Campinos, President, European Patent Office
Ewa Skrzydło-Tefelska, President, Polish Patent Office

Keynote
From coffee waste to global value – The EcoBean journey from research to the market
Marcin Koziorowski, co-founder and CEO, EcoBean

Panel discussion
Unlocking capital through IP: experiences shared by European start-ups

Moderator:Raquel Xalabarder, European Patent Academy director, European Patent Office

Bowman Heiden, co-director, Centre for Intellectual Property Thomas Bereuter, innovation networks manager, European Patent Office
Adéla Dvořáková, patent information expert, European Innovation Council
Ilja Rudyk, business analyst, European Patent Office 

Round table
PATLIB and EPO tools for patent valuation and technology assessment (Deep Tech Finder, Data Desk, new IP Score project)

Moderator: Rainer Kaysan, head of PATLIB, European Patent Office

Emul Onür, deputy manager, Intellectual Property Institute Luxembourg
Andrzej Żurawowicz, strategic advisor, Wrocław University of Technology Office of Intellectual Property and Patent Information
Ilze Grava, director of Development and International Co-operation Department, Latvian Patent Office
Johannes Schaaf, patent analyst, European Patent Office (TBC)

CodeFest 2026 prize ceremony

Moderator: Diego Eguidazu Alonso, Chief Information Officer, European Patent Office

Round table
Skills for technology transfer: PATLIBs and the future of the profession

Moderator: Thomas Whitnell, training & network expert, European Patent Office

Agnieszka Podrazik, deputy director of the Main Library, AGH University of Krakow
Pedro Almeida, coordinator of the Intellectual Property & Technology Transfer Office, NOVA School of Science and Technology
Laura MacDonald, chief executive, ASTP (TBC)
Ilja Rudyk, Admin business analyst, European Patent Office

Panel discussion
PATLIB: A network with a global impact

Moderator: Elizabeth McDonald-Maier, training & network expert, European Patent Office

Izlem Şahinkaya, manager of Industry Collaboration and Commercialisation, Bahçeşehir University
Sandra Ennas, head of Technology Transfer and Intellectual Property Sector, Sardegna Ricerche
Eunice Boateng, head, Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer Unit, Kwame Nkrumah' University of Science and Technology, Kumasi
Didier Moné, senior legal counsel and IP law expert, University of Mons
Alex Riechel, head of the TISC Development Section, WIPO

Closing hybrid day

Closing address:
Christoph Ernst, Vice President, European Patent Office