Sisvel Tech brings patent value message to future R&D leaders
Innovative research institutions in Italy and beyond often lack IP awareness. Our experts are engaging one lecture at a time to help change this
By Alessandra Mosca
Last month, my Sisvel Tech colleague Giovanni Ballocca and I had the privilege of addressing a group of graduate students in Turin on key topics in patent value creation. This was just the latest engagement in Sisvel’s long-standing effort to raise IP awareness within research institutions in Italy and beyond.
Sisvel Tech Patent Engineer Alessandra Mosca and Senior Patent Engineer Giovanni Ballocca addressed graduate students on a wide range of IP topics
Engaging with future IP leaders
The Executive Master in Open Innovation and Intellectual Property is a joint programme organised by the Luiss Business School of Rome and the University of Turin’s SAA School of Management. The course attracts a diverse group of working professionals with both technical and legal backgrounds.
I am a 2019 graduate of the programme, which prepares students for a variety of roles within the innovation economy. The course was established with the support of Italy’s Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy (formerly the Ministry of Economic Development) to address the need for professionals with a combination of technical, legal, economic, financial and managerial skills.
Sisvel Tech's lecture formed part of the Intellectual Property module. This provides a grounding in patent commercialisation topics to a student cohort that includes university researchers, R&D managers, tech transfer experts and legal counsel.
Bridging the IP awareness gap
Although Italy is home to numerous innovative research institutions, IP awareness is limited, and the country’s universities file relatively few patents compared to their European and international peers. Recognising this gap, Sisvel Tech has taken on the mission of raising awareness of IP-related issues within Italian academia.
Students in this programme have a basic level of familiarity with patents, and we were able to have engaging and insightful discussions with the group about the inner workings of the licensing market.
The lecture covered topics including the growth of intangibles as business assets, the technical, legal and commercial aspects of patents, the special role of standards and standard-essential patents, and recent trends in the global IP licensing and commercialisation market. We gave particular attention to case studies showing how universities around the world have successfully exploited patent-protected technologies.
The key message we hope students walk away with is that IP is a crucial enabler of commercialisation in research-driven fields.
Fostering local innovation and expertise
Sisvel has deep roots in the Turin area, where it has built a successful business based on commercialising innovation for over 40 years. The Sisvel Tech team in Italy supports the group’s licensing activities and plays a key role in identifying and evaluating cutting-edge technologies that will underpin tomorrow’s industries.
Many of these innovations set to shape future markets have their origins in university research within Europe. For Sisvel, bringing the patent value creation message to academic institutions in our own backyard is a way to fuel the local innovation ecosystem so that these institutions and the surrounding communities can benefit from the “inventive loop”.
It is also critical to ensure that the next generation of European R&D and business leaders are well-equipped to navigate the increasingly complex world of intangible assets. We will continue to share our expertise with these future leaders at every opportunity.
Alessandra Mosca is a patent engineer with Sisvel Technology