Innovation Roadshow Stops at TU Dortmund University
“I am very pleased that we were able to host the DPMA and its partners’ Innovation Roadshow here at TU Dortmund University,” says Dr. Ronald Kriedel, director of the Center for Entrepreneurship & Transfer (CET) at TU Dortmund University. “Protecting one’s own inventions—for example, through patents or trademarks—is just as important for researchers as it is for companies. Only by securing one’s intellectual property rights can one lay the groundwork for commercially exploiting innovations, entering into partnerships, and developing new opportunities from them.”
A Customized IP Strategy for Every Company or Startup
The participants in the panel discussion confirmed that this also requires a certain amount of courage: Prof. Daniel Rauh, Chair of Chemical Biology at TU Dortmund University, Michael Ullrich, Managing Director of BILSTEIN SERVICE GmbH; Dr. Bernd Burchard, VP of IP Management at Elmos Semiconductor SE; and Linh Phan, Head of the Business Unit Industrial Solutions and Head of Innovation at MURTFELDT GmbH & Co. KG. This is because it is often uncertain how successful today’s intellectual property rights will be for a company in the future. The panelists considered it essential to file for intellectual property rights as early as possible in order to gain an edge over competitors who may be working on similar issues. The discussion made it clear that an IP strategy must be tailored individually to each company or startup and its specific needs. Securing intellectual property—IP for short—also offers advantages for researchers. Collaborations with companies or investments from capital providers usually come about more easily when the invention is protected.
Anne Fröhlich, Head of the Berlin Office of the German Patent and Trademark Office (DPMA), offers a positive assessment: “We launched the Innovation Roadshow to raise greater awareness of how important it is to protect ideas early on. Presentations and, above all, direct dialogue are intended to help SMEs and startups better understand the topic of intellectual property rights and apply this knowledge to their own practices. After all, so far only about ten percent of SMEs have taken advantage of this. And that’s exactly what’s happening in Dortmund: here, a strong university, a diverse range of companies, and exciting ideas come together.” The Innovation Roadshow was organized jointly by the DPMA, the Association of Intellectual Property Professionals (VPP), the Dortmund Chamber of Industry and Commerce, piznet e. V., the Information Center for Technology and Patents (ITP), the Center for Entrepreneurship & Transfer, and TU Dortmund University as the host.
Technology Transfer as the Third Pillar Alongside Research and Teaching
“Protecting one’s own ideas is an important foundation for any business model,” explains Prof. Gerhard Schembecker, Vice-President for Finance and Technology Transfer at TU Dortmund University, who moderated the panel discussion. “This is the only way we can successfully put research results into practice—whether by founding our own startup or through cooperation with a company. The transfer of knowledge from research to practical application is very close to my heart—partly because of my own experience as a company founder. As Vice-President, I can help strengthen this transfer as the third pillar at TU Dortmund University, alongside research and teaching.”
Hands-on workshops encouraged discussion
In addition to the panel discussion and the subsequent discussion, all guests had the opportunity to delve deeper into specific topics in one of three hands-on workshops offered. Peter Berg, Senior VP of Intellectual Property at Infineon Technologies AG and a member of the VPP, discussed the topic “The IP Function in Small and Large Companies—What Can We Learn from Each Other” in his workshop; Dr. Ronald Kriedel presented the Dortmund “IP Transfer Model,” and Dr. Bernd Läßiger, Head of the Patents and Utility Models Division at the DPMA, led the workshop “Securing Opportunities with Patents—Strategies for a Successful Application.”