In the last decades life sciences have evolved into a basis for an important economic branch worldwide. Along with this development protection of intellectual property has become an increasingly important issue with challenges for scientists in general and specific issues focussed on patenting of building blocks of living organisms. At the same time a new field for job opportunities for scientists opened up in this area.

The two-day course with workshops will give an introductory overview of various aspects of patenting in life sciences. It will thus close a gap in the curricula of students in this field. Lectures will include patent basics, issues concerning patenting in an academic research lab such as publishing and/or patenting, patenting challenges in a spin off company and ethical considerations in patenting. In addition students will be given information about consulting bodies at the universities such as tech transfer offices. Finally job opportunities for scientists in the area of intellectual property management and registration will be presented.

The goal of the course consists in giving the students basic information to enable them to procure adequate answers to questions arising in conjunction with research or with career perspectives. The course is based on similar and successful events organised by the Forum for Genetic Research of the Swiss Academy of Sciences in the past.

Each participant will be asked to pay a reservation fee of 100.- CHF per course or per workshop. We expect that the student’s supervisors will pay this symbolic fee.

Download tentative program