EUIPO, EFAA and SMEs: «In This Together and Better Together»

«EFAA 2022 International Conference: Pratice Transformation. SMPs Embrancing Change» hosted by EUIPO

lucia leon in EFAA conference 2022 with Euipo e Inge Buffolo — Inge Buffolo (Director Customer Department at Euipo) and Nicolas Vigneron (Head of the Customer Service Department at Euipo)

«In This Together and Better Together». In this way started the «EFAA 2022 International Conference: Pratice Transformation. SMPs Embrancing Change» hosted by EUIPO – European Union Intellectual Property Office.

The agreement between EFAA and EUIPO joining the Ideas Powered for Business, allows the EUIPO to reach

STAFFING TRENDS

Monica Foerstes (IFAC) spoke about «Staffing Trends». From my wide experience in the private sector, I can confirm that most of the points Monica talked about are a reality.

» SMEs do not have enough time for all questions, thus from Euipo we want to give support them offering these type of services. We are now closer to SMEs… (Inge Buffolo)

#strongestTogehter

Inge Buffolo (Director Customer Department at Euipo) and Nicolas Vigneron (Head of the Customer Service Department at Euipo) participated as guest speakers.

They highlited the importance to create liaisons between Euipo and SMEs carrying out initiatives like building online resources. In fact, they are undertaking a pilot project of training sessions aimed to offer special services to the businesses. In this way Euipo strengthen the importance of IP in SMEs business journey.

marzo 11, 2022marzo 15, 2022

EUROPE IS JUST ON THE CORNER

Innovation should link to Intellectual Property. The EU helps you to protect your ideas

Europe is just on the corner”
With these words, the conference regarding the SMEfund started last week. It envolved our EUIPO’s neighbours, in the Digital District.

“Europe is just on the corner” With these words, the conference regarding the #SMEfund started last week; it envolved our EUIPO’s neighbours, in the Digital District, Alicante.

Do you know that in 2021 12,000 SMEs benefited from this grant? In the ongoing year, 4,000 businesses have already applied for it.

Under the tittle “SMEfund: Ideas Powered for Business”, it was surprising to know that the self-employed (which are “business” too and we sometimes forget) can also benefit from this aid.

INNOVATION PROCESS

We were able to better understand why the well-known “IP Businesses” are so interesting for an enterprise. The opportunity to licence our Trademark for others to produce it, was perfectly showed in the example of a scientist who applies new components to his fertilising.

CUSTOMER CARE DEPARTMENT

On the other hand, Natalia Ruano detailed in her didactic speech the steps we have to follow to apply for the grants:

Bonus 1: up to 1,500 Eur in the IP Scan Service, trademarks, drawings and designs fees.

** I would like to draw your attention to the fact that, Spain is really fortunate because it is among the countries which benefit form IP Scan Service. Not all countries do. Euipo is working to achieve a higher cope in this issue.

Bonus 2: up to 750 Eur in patents fees. Don’t let them take your idea away!

No more than 9% of EU SMEs make use of the Intellectual Property. We must be aware that an efficient IP strategy may be crucial to reach effectiveness in the global market. Which will translate in the near future not only into profitability, but reputation for our projects.

BETTER SLEEP…

Euipo wishes us a much better sleep knowing that, our trademarks, designs and patents are protected. This is the reason why the European Commission together with Euipo have undertaken the SMEfund initiative in “Ideas Powered for Business”

octubre 22, 2021marzo 15, 2022

Las claves del éxito: marca personal y redes sociales

Lucialeon_EU_Marca_personal_clave_exito — Las claves del éxito: marca personal y redes sociales. By Lucia Leon

¡ Qué ganas tenía de contarlo! Ha sido un caminito el que he recorrido, sin duda, en la búsqueda de mi «marca personal». Y este curso la remata.

Se podría decir que es un curso «handmade», o en la jerga del personal branding digital: orgánico y nativo. Vamos, casero y hecho a mano, como esos pastelillos tan ricos de aquella panadería de la esquina de mi barrio. Recuerdo que olisqueaba cómo los horneaban, desde el balcón de mi casa, junto a mi madre, a las tantas de la madrugada. Cómo recuerdo aquellas charlas, aquellos momentos inolvidables…también forman parte de mi marca.

La experiencia me está encantando, y espero inspirar a muchos en la búsqueda de su «chan.

Los primeros interesados : los profes de la Comunidad Valenciana. ¡Bravo por ellos!

Desde aquí mis agradecimiento a Agustí Fuertes (Director del CEFIRE Alicante) y a Nuria García (Asesora de CEFIRE Alicante y coordinadora de este curso). Por creer en mi proyecto, desde el primer día que aparecí en vuestras oficinas con mi proyecto bajo el brazo…y por la confianza.

enero 22, 2021enero 26, 2021

Greetings: «I needed to fail to… #beSuccessful

#FromScratch

It is difficult starting new projects and change our whole life…but I did it five years ago!!!

My mother’s illness and death was the key to focus my career in a different direction, hence I started #FromScratch.

I had a good life but I wanted to change some things which did not make me happy…

I undertook several projects, some of which did not turn out very well. Other, however, did! This made me realise that I needed to change my strategy…Because when things don’t run well in one way we should turn around and do it different.

It’s not a waste of time, believe me, it’s named: #keepLearning. Walking the path to the goal: #beSuccessful.

Now, I am glad to introduce you my background and professional career in a different way…Therefore…#GetToKnowMe…

enero 20, 2021enero 26, 2021

How to build an eCommerce with your partner in times of Covid…without breaking your head

My husband and I, two restless, active and enterprising minds, saw the world falling on us during the first 15 quarantine days, due to that mischievous and mysterious virus of which nobody knows much yet, but which it is clear that social distancing, but we now clearly know that social distancing, which we find unpleasant and contrary to the way human beings – these social animals – live, has put it on a firm footing and held it back.

And then eCommerce came into our lives!

Like a «butterfly effect», a series of stars conspired and joined a couple of circumstances, which led to the start of our project: an online shop of women’s clothing, and … why not? I based my imagination and my experience of the real women world, who often don’t know how to dress because of the sizing many famous brand 😉 My partner brought his longstanding experience, as well as his design and programming knowledge.

And… that’s it? Just like that? Ha, ha… that’s how I saw it. The thing was a little more complicated… As there were no schools, we had to establish a childcare schedule, so we took turns every other day to look after him. Yes, but when did we talk? We had to share our work, so we thought that lunchtime would be good for the meeting. Nothing! Impossible! The one who had worked that morning arrived starving and the one who had been with the child, was desperate to take a nap… Thus we thought it would be better at night, when the child was asleep. What? Are we crazy????? Our life seemed like that Michelle Pfeiffer film (Ladyhawke) where she was a hawk during the day and her beloved was a man and at night the roles were changing and he became a wolf and she became a woman. They never got to be together as a couple, until they undid the spell.

We are still waiting for ours to be undone, and I think we still have some way to go. But what we have achieved is to make magic, the magic of putting together the pieces of the puzzle: teleworking, social distancing, routine, projects and of course, the king of the house: our child. The key piece in this story, which inspires us and makes us relativize all the moments of our lives, keeping the essential.

There have been many hard days, many hours of work, insanity, helplessness, worry… but now that it seems we are beginning to see the light, I realize that what at first seemed to break us as a couple, gave us the strength and motivation needed to turn difficulties into something profitable and positive. I think they call it RESILIENCE. Because #weCan’tStop, #togetherStronger, #weAreMovingForward, #we’reGettingIt, but above all, because Miguel Angel and I make a winning team!