Connecting ideas and inventions to patents and profitability

In my day job I recently undertook some research on patenting levels of different countries around the world. In summary the end result was that in the UK we are currently pretty rubbish at getting patent applications in and profiting from our creativity.

Graphene is the current buzz word amongst scientists and inventors across the globe. A new wonder material discovered by scientists at the University of Manchester. YET the UK holds only 54 of the 5,172 graphene patents. By contrast China and the USA hold 2,204 and 1,754 respectively. This is the "patent paradox"; global companies and competitors can cash in on patents for marketable products on the basis of UK and European research. As a result the European Union has recently established an EU wide patent. This will make it easier and cheaper for SMEs, individuals, NGOs and university spin-offs to patent their ideas.

That is why I was pleased when I found out that Manchester Libraries are going to be teaming up with the British Library to become part of a new national information network. The network is modelled on the British Library’s flagship Business & IP (Intellectual Property) Centre, a business and innovation advice centre which provides support to small businesses, inventors and entrepreneurs. Only six cities have been chosen to participate in the scheme – Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, Newcastle and Sheffield.

The project’s aim is for each city to establish a ‘one-stop-shop’ information service along the lines of the successful Business & IP Centre, which has provided practical advice and business information to more than 300,000 people since opening its doors in 2006. I hope the result for Manchester businesses will be to connect the vast wealth of creativity and inventiveness we have in the city to the profits and growth that can come from being able to more easily patent your ideas and inventions!