Talk innovation: unlocking technology

Moderator: Nigel Clarke, expert in patent information EPO

Guest: Timea Garlati, examiner EPO

Whether you consider food and drink, medicines, cosmetics or Christmas trees, packaging technologies tend to be crucial in allowing us to take products home for instant use without a second thought. Join Timea Garlati for more on the challenges involved in making this possible and how the latest advances in convenient packaging are also helping to preserve the environment.

Moderator: Fernando Tiberini

Guest: Thomas Tuschl, Professor of Biochemistry, Rockefeller University

New York is the city that never sleeps but the coronavirus pandemic forced the it into hibernation. Resident and world-leading biochemist Thomas Tuschl has taken up the fight, exploring potential new treatments. The European Inventor Award finalist is also pushing boundaries that may lead to solutions for autoimmune diseases.

Moderator: Nigel Clarke, expert in patent information EPO

Guest: Cécile Fayos, examiner EPO

As personalised medicine takes off, Cécile Fayos talks about the role of ethics and the stories behind a selection of pharmaceutical blockbusters. Join Cécile to learn more about how the modern patent system dovetails with traditional medicine used for centuries.

Moderator: Fernando Tiberini

Guest: Elmar Mock, Inventor and entrepreneur

There are few who think outside the box quite like Elmar Mock. There are also few who have been as prolific – Elmar is named as the inventor or co-inventor in 178 patent families and has worked on some 800 projects. But what makes the co-inventor of the famous Swatch tick? How does he approach the inventive process? Inventing, it seems, is not a straightforward process.

Moderator: Nigel Clarke, expert in patent information EPO

Guest: Pau Montes, examiner EPO

Radiation diagnostics has come a long way after its accidental discovery in the late nineteenth century. Now routinely used in modern medicine, it once got a little help from the Beatles, whose record sales contributed to financing a major breakthrough in CT scanning. Meet Pau Montes to learn more about the fascinating evolution of the field and its working principles.

Moderator: Nigel Clarke, expert in patent information, EPO

Simon Bennett, energy technology analyst at the International Energy Agency (IEA), joins EPO patent examiners Giuliano Gregori and Stefano Meini to discuss the latest innovation trends in battery and electricity storage technologies. This is essential listening for anyone interested in hopeful responses to the urgent question of climate change and follows the publication of the first EPO-IEA joint study, which shows a rapid increase in electricity storage inventions over the last decade. After listening to the podcast, you may wish to continue exploring the findings of the EPO-IEA study, learn more about the IEA’s work on technology innovation, the IEA’s Tracking Clean Energy Progress report and Special Report on Clean Energy Innovation, or discover the roots of today’s innovation in the work of Japanese inventor, Nobel laureate and European Inventor Award winner Akira Yoshino.

Moderator: Fernando Tiberini

Guest: Luke Alphey, Group Leader, Arthropod Genetics, The Pirbright Institute

According to a World Health Organisation fact sheet, half of the world’s population is at risk of contracting dengue, a deadly mosquito-borne viral infection. Luke Alphey has spent two decades developing DNA-based solutions to slow the spread of disease. His current research looks at gene drives and techniques that could ensure beneficial traits are passed on in mosquitoes.

Moderator: Nigel Clarke, expert in patent information EPO

Guest: Rob Chapman, examiner EPO

The entire world population has rarely experienced a greater need for research into vaccines and antibodies than now. Meet Rob Chapman to learn about the latest advances in the quest to boost all our immune responses.

Moderator: Fernando Tiberini

Guest: Helen Lee, CEO, Diagnostics for the real world

Helen Lee left a career in industry to work on an invention that would be a game-changer in treating viruses such as HIV. Her device won a 2016 European Inventor Award and is now deployed several developing regions and is part of programmes to detect mother-to-child transmission of HIV. In 2020, Helen and her team developed atest for SARS-CoV-2. Their device, SAMBA II, delivers results in 90 minutes, giving medical professionalsan important weapon in fighting the spread of COVID-19.

Moderator: Nigel Clarke, expert in patent information EPO

Guest: Xavier Dauw, examiner EPO

Nanotechnology is invisible to the eye but has an enormous impact on semiconductors and a whole range of other fields, from organic chemistry to molecular biology. Meet Xavier Dauw, a passionate expert on the materials used in the electronics that will drive our future, especially when it comes to artificial intelligence.