European Patent Forum 2010
Following a disappointing result in Copenhagen, 2010 is set to become a decisive year for efforts to secure an ambitious and legally-binding climate protection treaty. Independent of the UN negotiations, Europe has decided to act. At the end of June for instance, each of the EU's 27 member states will have to present a plan on how to provide 20% of Europe's energy from renewable sources. With that target, the EU is claiming a pioneering role in the mitigation of climate change.
But is this claim really valid? Does Europe have the necessary technologies to reach its ambitious targets? Do governments and companies invest sufficiently in green innovation? And is economic growth jeopardised as other regions catch up or even overtake Europe when it comes to renewables?
Those are some of the questions the European Patent Forum (EPF) 2010 will try to tackle. Organised by the European Patent Office in co-operation with the Spanish EU Presidency, the European Commission and the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office, the two-day conference will take place in April in Madrid. Two months before Europe's renewable energy strategy is laid out, the EPF 2010 looks at the present and future of Europe's renewables landscape.
European Inventor Award 2010
The most inventive minds in Europe
Now in its fifth year, the European Inventor Award ceremony will be held in conjunction with the European Patent Forum and honours outstanding inventors in the categories Industry, SME/Research, Non-European countries, and Lifetime achievement.
Source: EPO website
http://www.epo.org/about-us/events/iventor-forum.html?banner=home1
