IPA 2024

October 2024 saw the conclusion of the third edition of the “Intellectual Property Award” (IPA). The awards ceremony was held in the “Salone degli Arazzi” of Palazzo Piacentini and was organised to celebrate the 140th anniversary of the birth of the UIBM.

Launched for the first time in 2019, the purpose of the IPA award is to promote innovation and support the creativity of inventors from Italian universities, national public research bodies and scientific institutes for research, hospitalization and healthcare, whose technical, scientific and intellectual skills concretely contribute to technological progress and economic growth, thus improving everyday life.

The competition reached its third edition in 2024, following its launch and follow-up in 2021, which concluded with the awards ceremony held at the Italian Pavilion at EXPO Dubai.

The 2024 edition of IPA, organised in collaboration with Invitalia and Netval, focused on patents from public research carried out by Italian universities, national public research institutes bodies and scientific institutes for research, hospitalization and healthcare, with the objective of rewarding the best research patents present on the Knowledge Share platform, in six technological areas:

1. Med tech
2. Clima tech
3. Agri tech
4. The Energy of the Future
5. The Future from the Space
6. The Future of the City (mobility, logistics, cyber security, telecommunications).

In addition to awards for the winning patents, a special award was also presented, as part of the 'Actions to support a culture of female entrepreneurship' programme funded through the NRPP, "Female Entrepreneurship". The prize was awarded to the best patents - one from each of the six technology areas - promoted by research groups made up of at least 50% women and/or with a woman as principal investigator.

The 12 winners were awarded €10,000 each, as well as the opportunity to have a dedicated space in the exhibition “Italy of Patents.”