The Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre (GEIC) launched in 2019 to help companies drive innovation in graphene and 2D materials. Its mission is to further the development of new technologies, products and processes created to capitalise on the remarkable properties of a wide range of advanced materials.
Headquartered in the Masdar Building in Manchester, the GEIC offers innovators the opportunity to work in world class facilities with the support of a hugely experienced team of engineers, academics and other graphene and 2D materials experts.
Potter Clarkson are proud to be one of these ‘other’ experts.
We have been involved with the GEIC since day one. As an affiliate member, our patent attorneys work alongside the companies designing and developing the next generation of products and processes involving graphene and 2D materials. To make sure we are totally accessible, we regularly hotdesk at the GEIC so you can ask us any questions you have in person and as they arise.
As the attorneys in our engineering and chemistry teams are experts in the graphene and 2D materials space, we understand what is required to help companies at every stage of their life protect their intellectual property (IP) and ensure everything is in place to maximise the commercial value of their ideas.
The first part of this process is to work with you to create a robust IP strategy that maps directly to your business plan and sets out which IP rights need to be acquired and exactly when each needs to be secured.
To make this part of the process as simple and straightforward as possible, we have created Kick-StartiP.
Kick-StartiP is a possible first step you may wish to consider. It has been designed to give you all the clarity and certainty you’ll need to give your business the best possible start and, by the end of the process, you will have:
- An explicit IP strategy (in writing) that will help you make the right IP decisions and manage your rights responsibly, commercially and cost-effectively
- A report that confirms your inventive concepts, the relevant IP rights and the ownership of your inventions and summarises the other legal or commercial issues you should address
- A set of slides that provides an executive summary of your IP strategy you can add to your deck for use in presentations, e.g., to internal team members or prospective investors
- An accurate budget for your future IP-related costs
From there we can:
- Advise you as to how to structure your IP rights in the most strategic way
- Register your patents, trade marks and designs throughout the world
- Identify and protect your trade secrets
- Draft any commercial and/or licensing agreements you need to support your growth
- Provide the wider commercial perspective and strategic direction you’ll need to build your business
And once you are on your way, we will remain on hand to make sure:
- You have the freedom to operate you need to commercialise your product or process
- You can deal quickly and effectively with any infringements on your rights or oppositions lodged by your competitors
- Any other bumps in the road that may arise as your product begins to establish itself in the international market are smoothed out
To find out more about how you can use your IP to maximise the commercial value of your graphene and 2D materials innovations, please email Jason Teng at jason.teng@potterclarkson.com.
