Patent Office provides IP advice to budding entrepreneurs

Budding graduate entrepreneurs will get advice from The Patent Office on how to turn their dreams into commercial reality at the Business Start Up London event on Friday 5 May and Saturday 6 May 2006.

At the exhibition held at the EXCEL exhibition centre in Docklands, entrepreneurs will be pitching their business ideas in The Midas Touch to successful, established entrepreneurs including Nighat Awan, chief executive of the Shere Khan Group and self-made millionaire Jonathan Jay. The budding business stars will have five minutes to convince the panel of experts that their idea is good enough for them to part with their cash and invest in their business.

Over the last few months The Patent Office has been working with graduates through the National Council for Graduate Entrepreneurship (NCGE)’s attending Flying Start Programs and Investment Readiness events. The Patent Office provided advice on patents, trade marks, designs and copyright to build an understanding of intellectual property to help graduates avoid pitfalls in these areas.

Education and Enterprise Manager at The Patent Office Dave Morgan says:

"Students are the future entrepreneurs and it is vital that they understand the importance of developing robust IP strategies and the natural fit within enterprise."

Lorna Collins Director of Flying start program said.

"We have worked closely with The Patent Office and see their input as vital to enable today’s students to acquire sufficient knowledge of how to take ownership of their own creativity and innovation. A chance to make a real bid for funding is a golden opportunity for some of our successful graduate entrepreneurs and we wish them every success."

The Patent Office will be at stand 132 at the Business Start Up event. Intellectual Property experts will be on hand to answer queries as well as delivering a general talk on intellectual property issues.

Editors' notes:

• The Business Start up event now in its sixth successful year is a free event offering visitors a one stop shop on how to launch a business. The event includes more than 180 exhibitors and 100 free seminars and this year provides more facilities for visitors. Please visit their web site for more details.
• The National Council for Graduate Entrepreneurship (NCGE) is an independent organisation whose aim is to raise the profile of entrepreneurship and to encourage more students to consider self employments as a career option. Please visit their web site for more details

Date of release: 05 May 2006