Department “Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer“ and Institute of Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer "Prof. Dr. Borislav Borisov"(IIPTT) of the University of National and World Economy (UNWE), held International Scientific Forum "Intellectual Property and Business - Challenges and Solutions", under the patronage of the Rector of UNWE Prof. Dr. Dimitar Dimitrov, and financed by National fund Scientific research of the Ministry of Education and Culture. The forum was conducted with the sponsorship of couple of Bulgarian companies, including "Tandem" AD, "Bella Bulgaria" AD, "Tivamex" AD, DARP EOOD and other. National fund Scientific research of the Ministry of Education and Culture provided financial support for the publication of a collection of 18 scientific reports in Bulgarian or English languages.

The focus of the forum, held on April 26th and 27th, 2023, were "High and frontier technologies - intellectual property" and "Digitalization of business - intellectual property" with lecturers from Bulgarian academia, and from abroad.

In the forum’s discussions, which began on World Intellectual Property Day, took part representatives of academia from the USA, Austria, Italy and South-Eastern European countries, representatives of the state institutions, the executive and judicial authorities, Non-governmental organizations and interested parties from the field of intellectual property business.

    

Prof. Dr. Maria Markova, Head of Department „Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer“ and Deputy director of the research activity of the Institute of Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer "Prof. Dr. Borislav Borisov", pointed out at the opening: " An environment that fosters research, educational innovation and creativity, or in other words, fosters intellectual property in all its forms and dimensions, has been created at UNWE.”

Facts, concerning the field of the intellectual property were presented by Prof. Maria Markova: "In the EU, intellectual property-based industries or ones, related to intellectual property, form over 40% of the employment. They generate around 6.6 trillion euros, resulting in 47% higher wages from all other sectors of the economy. The successful companies indicate that over 60% of all assets are related to the intellectual property.”

  

Prof. Dr. Dimitar Dimitrov, Rector of UNWE, congratulated the attendees on the occasion of the World Intellectual Property Day and emphasized that "in addition to being a leading business university, our university is also a leader in the field of intellectual property management. We want to build on what has already been done. When meetings foreign partners and universities, they point out that UNSS has a very well-developed unit for intellectual property. We will continue to promote its activity," also said Prof. Dimitrov.

Educational innovations at UNSS were highlighted by Prof. Markova, created jointly with the Department "Entrepreneurship" of the Business Faculty of UNSS, including new curricula for the department's specialties: "Intellectual property and business", "Creative industries and business" in Bachelor`s Degree Programme and two new specialties in Master`s Degree Programme -"Intellectual property and creative industries" and " Intellectual property and technological startups”.

In its 30-year history, more than 2 200 intellectual property specialists has graduated from the Department and 15 doctoral thesis has been defended.

 

On behalf of the European Intellectual Property Teacher's Network (EIPTN), Prof. Loren Mondereau, Chairman of the committee, welcomed the conference participants and presented the goals and activities of the European Network. He pointed out that Bulgarian researchers, working in the field of intellectual property, are increasingly involved in events, organized by the European network and they present reports reports of exceptionally high quality, which shows this field’s rapid development in our country and the enormous potential of our scientists. "That is why I am proud to be at this conference and to have the opportunity to discuss the challenges, facing the intellectual property in today's dynamically changing business environment, with my Bulgarian colleagues."

  

 

Associate Professor Dr. Dimitar Blagoev, Dean of the Business Faculty, recalled that over the years the Department has undergone some transformations, but they are a valuable constituent element of the faculty for many reasons. He pointed out that the economy needs the intellectual property and that he hopes both the institutions and the business will listen to what the participants would say.

 

Mr. Vladimir Yosifov, one of the most prominent specialists in the field of the intellectual property and innovations, drew attention to the fact that this year the World Intellectual Property Organization, where he has worked for many years, has determined that this day is dedicated to the women inventors, and also to the women related to the intellectual property. He recalled that, in the early 1990s, together with Prof. Borislav Borisov they created the Department “Intellectual Property", now known as "Intellectual Property and Technological Transfer". They managed to convince the World Organization to participate in the creation of the National Center for Intellectual Property, today’s Institute of Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer "Prof. Dr. Borislav Borisov".

"I am glad that the Center for Intellectual Property is a living organism that has a history of nearly 20 years, and many of the Bulgarian specialists in this field were trained in it. There is no field in the science or in the practice that is not related to the intellectual property", specified Mr. Yosifov.

 

“The logistical connection that has its place in the conference is very important, because I also see the connection between higher and secondary education, and how we can project all these ideas and to prepare the children from an earlier age for all the challenges – being in the real and in digital world," said Mrs. Maria Gaidarova, Deputy Minister of Education and Science, when addressing the public. She hoped to make possible the building of a bridge between the two levels in the education system.

  

Prof. Maria Markova - Head of the forum with the participants of over 70 people, and financed by National fund Scientific research of the Ministry of Education and Culture, presented congratulatory addresses, among which she singled out the addresses of the Ministry of Culture, the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Patent Office of the Republic of Bulgaria, of the Agency for the Promotion of SMEs;  congratulatory addresses from representatives of academia, personally presented in the official part of the forum - New Bulgarian University, International Higher Business School, and others.

Special attention was paid to the international partner organizations such as the Global IP alliance - USA, the European Network of Teachers of Intellectual Property / EIPTN /, the World Intellectual Property Organization /WIPO/ and the inclusion of the event in the WIPO calendar of events, in order to mark the World Intellectual Property Day –

https ://www.wipo.int/ip-outreach/en/ipday/2023/events_calendar.html

 

Foreign speakers, participants and organizers