The Authority's Priorities - IPO Research 2015/2016

The UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO) Economics, Research & Evidence Team has just published the IPO's research and evaluation priorities for 2015/2016.  Each year, the IPO identifies a combination of targeted research to identify immediate policy questions and evaluation needs, and broader research questions for long-term thinking.  In my humble, possibly biased* opinion, the UK IPO is the international leader in government IP research.

Broad themes of priority for the next year are: Enforcement and Infringement; IP, Innovation and Growth; and the Value of Intellectual Property. There are some juicy projects on the Digital Single Market, Design Rights and the Economic Impact of Social Media on Counterfeit Goods.

If IP research is your thing, now is the time to step up. The team want to hear from potential suppliers (projects are often interdisciplinary).  And based on yesterday's post, it's also a good opportunity for researchers to flag up relevant research:

"This is a rolling programme of work and whilst a number of the projects listed have been commissioned and will be published in 2015/16, the IPO has identified a range of new areas of work which are yet to be scoped. The IPO welcomes expressions of interest from any potential suppliers in undertaking this work, or in helping deliver an achievable and realistic specification. ERE is keen to build partnerships with industry and academia wherever possible to maximise the influence that evidence and data can have on IP policy making, nationally and internationally." 

You can get in contact with the team here: research[at]ipo.gov.uk; tell them Cool Nic** sent you. 

* As a erstwhile IPO employee, this is the work of my former colleagues.   

** Not my actual nickname, but one I always fancied.