The project IP4ENGINEERS, co-funded by the EU Commission under the Erasmus+ Programme and by the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, introduces a new teaching module on intellectual property protection within the engineering degree courses of the said University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, in Italy.
The module touches in depth on European IP laws, through a comparative and interdisciplinary approach, to provide engineering students with knowledge on a topic central to their future careers.
The overall goal is to train competent professionals, who can actively contribute to strategic and business decisions, collaborating on industrial and economic policies from small to large scale: i.e, from local, regional, and national level to the European one.
To encourage technological and industrial development, it is necessary to ensure effective protection to intellectual properties, strengthening economic incentives for new inventions, as well as preventing illegal copying.
In this context, it is useful to equip engineers with the technical and legal tools to navigate the system. In fact, while it is advisable to seek professional guidance from consultants specialized in trademarks, patents, trade secrets, etc., it is also necessary for the engineers themselves to be familiar with IP procedures, standards, national and international bodies, so that they can design and market their products wisely and profitably.
These competencies are fundamental to boost research, development, and innovative production in Europe, for greater global competitiveness of the manufacturing sector.