Imperial College IP Professor appears as guest lecturer in latest PatSnap Academy course

In response to an increasing demand for broader knowledge of intellectual property (IP) related issues within organisations, PatSnap has today launched a brand-new course, in collaboration with IP expert Donal O’Connell of Chawton Innovation Services, covering IP risk and IP risk management on its free e-learning platform Academy by PatSnap.

Donal O’Connell is Adjunct Professor of IP at Imperial College Business School in London, and a member of global IP strategist group IAM 300. As a former VP of R&D and Director of IP at Nokia, PatSnap is delighted to be able to bring Donal’s expertise to Academy by PatSnap.

O’Connell said that “many companies have difficulty developing and articulating an IP strategy that aligns with the business strategy.” To improve this situation, Donal explains, “First of all, I think that we need to do a better job of educating people about IP. In particular, the IP community needs to understand how to better articulate IP to a non-IP audience. For example, how to explain the different forms of IP, the different models and the various processes involved.”

Academy by PatSnap was launched in October 2017 in order to empower innovators to learn how to protect and commercialise their ideas, and now has over 800 students and professionals registered on the platform. This latest PatSnap Academy course provides information about the typical IP risks an organisation may face; best-practice advice in terms of management processes; an overview of risk mitigation solutions; an introduction to the concept of an IP risk register and risk visualisation; and the psychology of IP risk management in a six-part series.

“In 2017, there was estimated to be over US$2 trillion spent on R&D globally. Without the necessary basic understanding of how patents work, and how best to use them, a growing number of ideas will never make it to the development stage, let alone make it to market,” said Duncan Clark, head of PatSnap Academy.

He continued: “the encouragement of tomorrow’s most innovative minds begins with education, and the more confidently they can approach their IP strategy, the more likely we are as a society to benefit from their creativity. I am delighted to have Donal O’Connell as a guest lecturer on Academy by PatSnap, his extensive experience in the field of IP means that Academy users have access to a highly valuable resource of information.”

For anyone interested in learning the fundamental basics of Intellectual Property, how to pursue, protect and commercialise their ideas and understand the value of IP to business, individuals can sign up for free here.