Innovators helped to cash in on results
European researchers must realise the importance of intellectual property rights in protecting and exploiting their results. The European Commission has now launched its IPR-Helpdesk to help innovators make the most of their work - and avoid duplicating research. Background European research is second to none, but a significant weakness lies in the comparatively limited capacity to convert scientific breakthroughs and technological developments into industrial and commercial successes. Many researchers in the European Union fail to realise the importance of intellectual property rights. While one-third of all patents issued in Europe are of American origin, only 15% of US-issued patents come from Europe. It is clear that Americans play a much bigger role in Europe than vice versa. European researchers have failed to capitalise on their inventiveness and have left the results of their hard work open to exploitation by others outside the EU. In addition, too much European research effort is focused on areas which have already been studied - 30% of R&D outlay in Europe is squandered on work that merely reproduces the results of existing research. Objectives and approach The European Commission's IPR-Helpdesk has been set up to achieve three objectives: 1. To make the European public more aware of the importance of intellectual property in the field of innovation; 2. To encourage the use of technical and patent databases as a way of finding out the state of the art before embarking on R&D activity; and 3. To provide useful tools for exploiting and transferring technology. The website (http://cordis.europa.eu/ipr-helpdesk(opens in new window)) provides general information and comprehensive documentation on all aspects of protecting and exploiting intellectual property rights. It also provides easy access to the European Patent Organisation's esp@cenet service which, with details of 30 million patents, is currently the largest patent database available free on the Internet. The IPR-Helpdesk website is available free-of-charge in English, French and German and is continuously updated. A personal telephone assistance service on intellectual property rights is also available for companies and research institutes involved in RTD projects financed by the European Commission. Contractors are offered in-depth assistance in the interpretation of contractual IPR issues and technology access rights. In addition, the scheme is designed to guide users towards the professionals and organisations able to provide services in this sector.