IPO's Plan to support SME

"From ideas to growth: Helping SMEs get value from their intellectual property" is the title of the Intellectual Property Office ("IPO")'s plan for supporting small and medium enterprises ("SME"). The services that it proposes to offer are as follows:

1. providing training and awareness raising seminars for businesses;
2. providing online tools to help businesses assess their IP assets, 
3. funding strategic IP audits for businesses where IP has been identified as a critical issue for their growth;
4. funding Masterclass training for business advisers within other public sector business support schemes, such as GrowthAccelerator, the Technology Strategy Board’s Catapult Centres and the Patent Library network;
5. extending the model used at the Business and IP Centre in London to six regional patent libraries;
6. working with the local enterprise partnerships to offer tailored local advice to businesses in different regions;
7. stimulating the creation of business and IP advice networks across the UK;
8. creating a strong network of business advisers that SMEs are able to access for sound commercially relevant IP advice;
9. continuing the Cracking Ideas competition to introduce school children to intellectual property, and
10. working with universities to reach students who need a good understanding of intellectual property to benefit their future careers and the wider economy.

The public is invited to comment on those proposals by 3 July 2012.  The IPO will use any feedback to develop new and improve existing services.   Responses should be addressed to sme@ipo.gov.uk.