MUNICH - Located opposite each other on the banks of the Isar river in Munich, the Deutsches Museum and European Patent Office (EPO) have strengthened their partnership by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). According to EPO, this step enhances relations between the two technology organizations, and is also an invitation to other local institutions as well as Bavarian stakeholders to engage in an inspiring exchange on innovation. 

"The EPO and Deutsches Museum are technology neighbors and this agreement will enable us to work together more closely," said EPO President António Campinos. "As a public institution with long-standing ties to Munich, it also means the EPO can contribute even more to a city that has given it a home - as well as to society as a whole."

"Obtaining a patent is an important first step on the path to creating the science and technology masterpieces that are on display at the Deutsches Museum. So it's absolutely logical that the co-operation between the Deutsches Museum and European Patent Office is as strong and harmonious as it is," commented Deutsches Museum Director-General Wolfgang M. Heckl.

The purpose of the MoU is to guide the co-operation between the two organizations in order to raise awareness about the value of technological innovation, science and the industrial property (IP) system for society and economy across Europe. Under the MoU, which will takes effect for an initial three-year period, the EPO and the Deutsches Museum will endeavour to pursue common co-operation objectives. These will include improving stakeholders' understanding of the value of science preservation, the benefits of technological progress and its protection as an appropriate tool to foster innovation-driven economies; and improving access to patent information and public dissemination of such information.

The MoU extends the existing ties between the two organisations. The Director-General of the Deutsches Museum has, for example, been a long-standing member of the independent jury that judges proposals for the EPO's annual European Inventor Award - one of Europe's most prestigious innovation prizes: Launched by the EPO in 2006, it honours individual inventors and teams of inventors whose pioneering work provides answers to some of the biggest challenges of our times.

The enhancement of local partnerships is a declared objective of the Office under the EPO's new Strategic Plan. This plan states that the EPO is committed to fulfilling its role as a responsible public institution by utilising its resources to generate benefits for local citizens and society as a whole. In future, the EPO will, for example, develop local partnerships to better integrate with the local community, including local authorities and universities, NGOs and cultural and sport associations.