The PatSnap Blog: Innovation Insights

Wearable technology can be dated back to the reign of Queen Elizabeth I who was presented with the first wristwatch by court favourite Robert Dudley in 1571. The first wrist watches were reportedly so large they were called arm watches.

While governments, charities and the media attempt to change attitudes towards diet and exercise, obesity rates globally continue to grow and 42 million children under the age of five worldwide are now overweight¹.

The 3D printing of food, like most other applications of the new tech, is still struggling against the bonds of novelty. While 3D printed candies and other sculpted dishes are most certainly impressive, it will be applications which can produce healthy food easily, quickly and cheaply that establish the technology as feasible.

Last week, we discussed how a rising global population places strain on methods of food production and how technological advances could be used to feed 10 billion people. 

But that was only half the tale. Providing food security to so many people relies on technological innovations to solve problems at such a scale that IP conflicts occur regularly. Unfortunately, a system designed to protect and incentivise innovation can actually stifle development and even exacerbate issues.

In this article, we will look at the role IP plays in agriculture and how that impacts a stretching global food chain.

Welcome to our first PatSnap Weekly of April. Despite plenty of April Fools (none included here), there are still a lot of great developments including driverless buses patrolling the streets of London, a new doomsday vault and breakthrough discoveries into how we create memories.

The population of the world will reach 9.7 billion by 2050¹ , 66 per cent of which will be in cities² . Energy supply, transportation and employment will all be of concern but one of the most crucial worries is far more fundamental – how to feed these people.

Once a company reaches a certain size, licensing technology, acquiring or merging with another company is one of the quickest and most popular methods of continuing growth.

Welcome to the final PatSnap Weekly of March. This week, a shadowing hand, a potential cure for type 2 diabetes and the largest artificial sun ever created.

In honour of Women’s History Month, we sat down with Laura Schoppe, CEO of Fuentek earlier this month on International Women's Day. Fuentek advises the technology transfer, R&D and business development communities on technology commercialisation across several sectors including universities, government and corporations around the world.

Research and development is one of the most crucial business departments a company can invest in. By committing to constantly updating and renewing products and services, companies maximise their chances of both growing and maintaining market share. In this infographic, we look at how to do R&D and its benefits - as well as some of the risks of not doing R&D.