The European Commission launched a free service for SMEs to protect their intellectual property (IP) in order to boost Europe’s innovation capacity. 

Horizon IP Scan aims to help manage and valorise IP in research and innovation (R&I) collaboration. The support service builds on a vast network of experienced, local IP experts around Europe. The Horizon IP Scan team assesses intangible assets of SMEs in order to present ways to protect existing IP while collaborating with multiple partners on R&I projects and to assist in shared strategy development for the management and exploitation of new IP that was jointly generated.

The European Commission (EC) initiated this support service because IP management plays a crucial role in the entire lifecycle of R&I projects. Like any other asset, IP needs to be managed by collaborating partners in order to ensure a successful and efficient cooperation. The IP support service addresses the issues around central IP and guides the SMEs in their development for shared strategies throughout the different stages of R&I collaboration projects.

Horizon IP Scan follows a first-come, first-serve approach, where successful applicants are matched with the corresponding local IP expert. Applicants will have a pre-interview in the preparation phase. Afterwards, the main interview will be either online or in-person, following the provision of a report with recommendations. The SMEs will increase their IP knowledge, better understand their existing IP, identify options for protection of intangible assets, and develop a joint IP exploitation and management strategy with their partners. The support service aims to highlight IP conflicts and shows ways to prevent them. Eventually, the Horizon IP Scan wants to leverage SME’s innovation capacity.

The service is available to start-ups and SMEs that will sign a Horizon 2020/Horizon Europe Grant Agreement or already have signed one in the last six months. 

You can find the guide for applicants, a privacy statement as well as the service request form on the Horizon IP Scan page. 

Source: SwissCore

The Work Programme of the European Innovation Council (EIC) for 2021 has just been published!

In this document, the topics for the EIC Accelerator, Pathfinder and Transition are described in detail.

The launching of the calls for proposals contained in this Work Programme is conditional upon the final adoption without significant modifications by the legislative authority of the European Parliament and of the Council as well as to the final adoption without significant modifications by the European Commission of this Work Programme.

Sources: European Commission, Euresearch

The State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation provides regular updates on the status of Switzerland to Horizon Europe, namely 

- Information on the Swiss participation in the EU framework programmes for research and innovation (Horizon 2020 / Horizon Europe) (PDF, 176 kB, 09.02.2021)

- Guidelines for Participation by Researchers in Switzerland (PDF, 136 kB, 04.03.2021)

- Questions and answers on Switzerland’s participation in the European Framework Programmes for Research and Innovation (Horizon 2020 / Horizon Europe) (PDF, 322 kB, 03.03.2021)