European Patent Office - EPO Innovation Contest

General Description

As part of the EPC’s 40th anniversary celebrations, the EPO is staging an Innovation Contest to give university students in the Organisation’s member states an opportunity to explore the wealth of available patent documentation, and to suggest new areas of innovation, particularly in the green technology and sustainable development sectors. The contestants will work closely with patent experts from the EPO and the member states and will make use of patent databases, in particular freely accessible ones, such as the EPO’s Espacenet. The winners in each of the five categories will be awarded a prize of €5000.

Requirements

The project paper must include a presentation of the state of the art currently available in the problem area. It must also include an account, in general terms, of the market potential for the suggested solution to the chosen technical problem. The contest is open to students of all disciplines who are at least 18 years old, enrolled at a university, college or equivalent academic institution in one of the Organisation’s member states.