Intellectual property for deep-tech business

On 11 and 18 June 2025, the European Patent Office (EPO) and the European Innovation Council (EIC), with support of the European IP Helpdesk, jointly organised a two-part online training focusing on empowering deep-tech SMEs, university spin-offs, and early-stage innovators to strategically manage their intellectual property for business success.

The training provided insights for EIC beneficiaries and the wider innovation ecosystem to navigate key IP challenges, ranging from developing a robust IP strategy to managing IP portfolios, understanding commercialisation pathways, and leveraging IP assets for investment, partnerships, and scale-up. Throughout the sessions, IP experts from the European Patent Office offered practical guidance, real-world case studies, and hands-on advice.

On IP strategy day, Ilja Rudyk explored how IP contributes to value creation and innovation strategies. Christian Soltmann then outlined the pros and cons of various commercialisation routes, including licensing and spin-outs. Bente Fjeldberg discussed how different IP rights (such as patents, trade secrets, trademarks) can be effectively combined, setting the scene for the session on IP strategy. In their presentation, Thomas Bereuter, Ilja Rudyk, and Adéla Dvořáková (EIC) demonstrated how IP strategies support real-world business growth, using examples from the EPO Innovation case studies library.

Building on these strategic foundations, the IP management day focused on how to operationalise IP strategies through structured IP management practices. Thomas Bereuter began with best practices for building and strengthening IP pipelines in SMEs. Johannes Schaaf followed with guidance on portfolio evaluation and prioritisation. Rainer Kaysan then shared tactics for protecting both conventional and less obvious inventions, such as software-based inventions. With Christian Soltmann, the audience delved deeper into potential risks before entering markets and how to navigate them, including how EPO tools like Espacenet can support informed decision-making.

The training highlighted the feedback loop between IP strategy and IP management and its critical role in sustaining innovation-driven growth. IP planning is not a one-off task: it should begin early and evolve continuously as the business matures.

Explore the session recordings and presentation materials below to benefit from the combined IP expertise of the EPO and the practical experience of the EIC community, and take the next steps toward building robust, innovation-driven IP strategies.