The innovation competitions organized by a number of universities in the Netherlands are running at full speed. This year, the TU Delft Impact Contest (TU Delft), the WUR Challenge (Wageningen University & Research), the UT Challenge (University of Twente) and the TU/e Contest (TU Eindhoven have already taken place. Furthermore, on 31 August, the Gerard & Anton Awards were presented to promising start-ups in Brainport Eindhoven. The final event is Grand Finale of the Erasmus University Challenge (Erasmus University Rotterdam), on Thursday 21 September. 

As a partner, V.O. is closely involved in all the above events, also as a jury member. Research institutes are the hotbeds of innovation and as such also centers of IP creation. Moreover, many graduates will have to deal with IP during their careers, and for some the prospect of a work-study track to become a patent attorney may be beckoning.

This year, the V.O. Kickstart Award  has been specially created to give students extra incentive to establish a link between a drive for innovation and creativity and a sophisticated sense of business. Marco Molling gave the award to Bond, the adventure that connects caregivers and children at the Emergency Department of hospitals.

As of 1 October 1, Hans Bottema has joined V.O. as a partner. Hans is a highly experienced European and Dutch patent attorney and European patent litigator. He has an impressive career in IP. He was a partner at NLO for more than 24 years.

Hans will work in the Engineering and Hightech & Electronics departments, based in Amsterdam. His specialties include physics, process technology, offshore and automotive technology, medical devices and electronics and optical devices.

V.O. is extremely pleased with Hans' arrival and has high expectations of his added value to the firm.

IAM Patent 1000 has honored our practices in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany with a gold, silver and bronze recommendation, respectively. Furthermore, for the Netherlands, individual recommendations go to Leo Jessen, Hajo Kraak, Bernard Ledeboer, Otto Oudshoorn and Frits Schut. For Belgium Annemie Jaeken, Marco Molling and Annemie Swinnen are recommended, and for Germany Bettina Hermann and Jennifer Ebner von Eschenbach.

Finally, V.O. has again received a place on the list of Europe's Leading Patent Law Firms 2023, published in Financial Times. The recommendation applies in particular to the fields of biotechnology, food, and health. See also https://www.vo.eu/home/about-vo/awards/.

This summer ten trainees from V.O. successfully completed V.O.'s internal patent attorney training. In July, Vicky Andréka, Leen Beller, Raimondo Cau, Tamara Idema, Monika Jędrzejczyk, Martin Pekař, Matthijs Roelofs, Senne Plessers, Sara Tekavec and Lydia Schenk festively received their certificates.

The internal training was set up several years ago by the V.O. IP Academy to develop knowledge and skills useful in the day-to-day practice of the patent attorney, in addition to the subject matter covered in the external training courses. Coordinator Kasper Haak explains: "Think not only about the substantive role of patent attorney in the process of granting patents, but also, for example, about working procedures and supporting systems within your own organization. How do you organize your work efficiently and effectively? And what is the style we want to project as a firm?" In addition, attention is paid to social skills required when practicing the profession. Haak: "This ranges from communication with clients to presentation at events and representation at official bodies. All in all, internal training is an excellent complement to external training and prepares trainees for their next career step." We wish our newly graduated colleagues, some of whom are now already registered as patent attorneys, a lot of success in this regard.