A hundred UB Master’s and PhD students pass the patent course offered by the European Patent Office
The University of Barcelona (UB) has offered for the first time the course ‘Create – Protect – Innovate: Bringing ideas to market’, an initiative proposed by the European Patent Academy, the training arm of the European Patent Office (EPO) with the aim of collaborating closely with European universities and promoting intellectual property culture.
This collaboration marks an important step in the integration of patent and innovation training into the UB’s Master’s and PhD programmes, aligning with the EPO’s strategy to build a sustainable future for IP awareness and education.
In this first edition at the UB, more than 90 Master’s and PhD students have passed the course, demonstrating a high interest in learning how to bring their ideas to market. The main objective of the training ‘Create – Protect – Innovate: Bringing ideas to market’ is for Master and PhD students to understand what intellectual property is and how to use the patent system to support innovation.
The programme is divided into two levels: an introductory level covering the fundamental concepts of IP and an advanced level that delves into the strategy of commercialisation and use of intellectual property rights.
In addition to providing theoretical knowledge, the course includes live sessions with IP experts, real-life case studies and tutored forums, allowing students to apply their knowledge in practical situations. Participants who successfully complete the course are awarded an EPO certificate.
One of the people who attended the course was PhD student Iratxe Eskubi, from the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biomedicine of the UB’s Faculty of Biology. According to Eskubi, the course provides ‘essential knowledge that can be very useful in the development of the career of a researcher or professional linked to innovation’.
Promoting innovation and entrepreneurship
One of the UB’s main objectives is to prepare future researchers for the protection and commercialisation of their research results, offering them tools to identify and manage intangible assets. This training contributes to strengthening the entrepreneurial spirit in the academic community, increasing the possibilities of technology transfer and collaborations with industry.
Iratxe Eskubi recommends Master’s and PhD students at the UB, as well as researchers or professionals interested in intellectual property protection, to enrol in the course. ‘It is a course that provides basic and essential knowledge for those who, at some point in their career, may need to patent an innovation. In addition, it offers a clear vision of the necessary steps to start this complex process’.
For Eskubi, the EPO course is an ‘excellent way to enter the world of patents and is especially useful for those who have an invention to protect. The knowledge acquired can make a difference in the management of intellectual property and provide a solid basis for future challenges in this field. It is certainly an opportunity worth seizing.
An innovative and flexible educational model
The course has been developed by the European Patent Academy within the Modular IP Education Framework (MIPEF), a flexible educational framework that allows universities to adapt the content to their needs. The UB was one of the first universities in Spain to implement this programme, and collaboration with the EPO is expected to continue in future editions.
Future prospects
Following the success of this first edition, the UB aims to consolidate this training in its academic programmes, offering it regularly to both master’s and doctoral students.
In fact, the registration period for the introductory and advanced courses is currently open. Interested Master’s or PhD students can request further information by emailing comunicacio@fbg.ub.edu.
The collaboration with the EPO will allow the UB to remain at the forefront of training in intellectual property and innovation, providing added value to its research community.
With this initiative, the University of Barcelona reaffirms its commitment to entrepreneurship, innovation and knowledge transfer, enhancing the social and economic impact of academic research.
