Webinar recording: How smart IP management drives innovation and unlocks government incentives

Innovation is enhanced when it is protected and rewarded. Many companies create valuable intellectual property (IP) but do not safeguard it properly or fail to realise that government incentives are available to make innovation more affordable.

This session explored how to identify and protect core IP assets, navigating the landscape of government incentives like R&D tax relief and the Patent Box, and avoiding common pitfalls during fundraising and due diligence.

Key takeaways:

• An IP strategy is pivotal for protecting competitive advantage, strengthening investor confidence, and reducing long-term commercial and legal risks.
• Common IP blind spots for scaling companies include unclear ownership, incomplete protection of core assets, a lack of awareness regarding freedom to operate, and failing to view IP as a commercial asset.
• A minimal viable IP strategy should be formalised as soon as innovation begins and should include four key building blocks: clear ownership and confidentiality agreements, identification of protectable assets, timely and proportionate protection, and a simple forward plan.
• Government incentives are available across the innovation lifecycle, including grants at the start, R&D tax credits during development, and the Patent Box scheme during commercialisation.
• The biggest missed opportunities arise from failing to secure available benefits and from inefficient processes due to a lack of alignment between IP strategy and incentive claims.
• To maximise incentives, companies should review their IP portfolio, conduct regular IP harvesting sessions, ensure key stakeholders understand what constitutes IP, and implement systems to track and trace R&D expenditure linked to that IP.

If you have any further questions or would like to discuss how we can help you align your IP and innovation strategies, please do not hesitate to get in touch.