The EUIPO Organises Advanced Training Programme on Biotech for Indonesian and Malaysian Patent Examiners

The European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), as a leading global authority on intellectual property, hosted an advanced training programme from 4 to 8 November 2024 on patent search and examination for resident first filings in the field of biotechnology for 20 senior patent examiners from the Directorate General of Intellectual Property (DGIP) of Indonesia and the Intellectual Property Corporation of Malaysia (MyIPO). This programme was the second part of the advanced trainings for patent examiners under the 2024 Annual Work Plan of the EU-funded project, IP Key South-East Asia (IP Key SEA).

As the reference implementing agency of IP-related projects, the EUIPO has built an extensive network of EU agencies and partner institutions, enabling it to mobilise experts and provide technical assistance across all IP domains. In this workshop, experts in biotechnology and pharmaceutical chemistry from the European Patent Office (EPO) led discussions with participating officials from Indonesia and Malaysia, using real application cases to improve their patent examination skills.

The EUIPO’s commitment to promoting EU standards, best practices, and tools in IP protection is reflected in this workshop. By supporting Southeast Asian patent examiners in processing applications to meet international standards and improve the quality of results, the EUIPO contributes to strengthening the protection of European inventions in the region, reducing the risk of granting patents that might infringe on prior European patent rights. This initiative also underscores the EUIPO’s role in promoting the convergence of practices and standards in IP protection, ultimately benefiting users and the business community.