Strengthening partnerships for European competitiveness

President Campinos with Ekaterina Zaharieva, European Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation  

The launch of the EPO’s Patent Index this week delivered major insights into Europe’s technological landscape, with the potential to help shape EU innovation policies and initiatives. To discuss how best to enhance European competitiveness through innovation, the President of the European Patent Office (EPO) António Campinos has met with Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation Ekaterina Zaharieva, as well as other policy and industry leaders in Brussels.

The meeting with Ms Zaharieva focussed on the role that the EPO has played to date in supporting European competitiveness in the global market, and the organisation’s readiness to build on this role in the future. Also present at the meeting was Marc Lemaître, Director-General of the European Commission’s DG Research and Innovation, which is responsible for EU policy on research, science and innovation. The DG also oversees Horizon Europe, the EU’s funding programme for research and innovation.

President Campinos underlined the success of the Unitary Patent in removing barriers to innovation, especially for SMEs, saying that this shows what can be achieved when Europe leverages its know-how and expertise to advance a single technology market that is open to all. Since the Unitary Patent system was launched in June 2023 to make patent protection simpler and more cost effective, the EPO has introduced additional concrete measures to further ease access to the European patent system for startups and micro-entities.

President Campinos also held bilateral meetings with Ilhan Kyuchyuk and Lara Wolters, Chair and Vice-Chair of the Parliament's Committee on Legal Affairs. Finally, President Campinos met with Markus J. Beyrer, Director General of BusinessEurope. Their exchanges reaffirmed the value of deepening dialogue between the EPO and users, with a view to ensuring that the European patent system continues to meet industry needs.

EPO technical expertise to support European competitiveness

The discussions in Brussels, which took place on 26 and 27 March, helped highlight the unique expertise of the EPO and the support already provided to innovators, investors, policymakers and the public through the full range of EPO services, tools and studies.

The EPO’s unparalleled technical expertise across all fields of technology supports informed decision-making, including in strategically important areas such as green and digital transformation. With this expertise, the EPO is already contributing to strong partnerships with institutions that foster innovation Europe-wide, such as the European Innovation Council.

Further, the EPO is actively improving public access to patent knowledge through freely available platforms and studies. These make technical information more readily available where it is most needed, including in areas such as cleantech and cancer-fighting technologies, as well as water-related and space technologies. Insights were shared from the latest studies published by the EPO’s Observatory on Patents and Technology, which so far this year have covered topics such as life-saving technologies at the new frontiers of oncology. Upcoming studies currently in preparation include those on standards and patents, as well as quantum technologies.   

Through training and studies on the latest technology trends, the EPO is also actively raising awareness of the importance of IP management for successful research and innovation. Meanwhile, the latest EPO Observatory study on financing innovation maps specialised technology investors. It is accompanied by a new filter that makes it easier to search for these investors in the EPO’s Deep Tech Finder, a tool that helps to connect Europe’s inventors and investors through blended patent and business data.

Taking place shortly after the launch of the EPO’s Patent Index 2024, the meetings reflected a shared commitment to supporting inventors and investors alike.