SIGNO

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SIGNO (Protection of Ideas for Commercial Use) formerly INSTI (Innovation Stimulation ) is an initiative of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology in which pupils, adults, universities and small and medium-sized entrepreneurs (SMEs) are encouraged in their inventive activities in a variety of ways.

aims

With the SIGNO - known under the name INSTI (innovation stimulation ) until April 2008 - the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology is pursuing the goal of intensifying the innovation activities of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), sensitizing the public to the nature of the invention process and increasing knowledge to disseminate industrial property rights and scientific and technical information, as well as to consolidate Germany as a location for innovation with the creation of student and adult inventor clubs and to introduce children and young people to inventive activities and to train future specialists in the student inventor clubs. A special focus should be on the implementation of property rights in marketable products. There are several main objectives:

  1. Securing the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises by strengthening innovation activities.
  2. Creating a more inventive and innovation-friendly climate.
  3. Consolidation of Germany as an innovation location by creating student and adult inventor clubs
  4. Introduce children and young people to inventive activities in student inventor clubs and train future specialists

deals

SIGNO implements its offers and funding programs for companies, start-ups and inventors with various institutions and private providers from research, science and industry. There are currently 34 partners in the nationwide network. The experts include: inventor and patent information centers, start-up and technology centers, information brokers, transfer facilities, management consultancies and higher education institutions. These so-called "SIGNO partners" are intended to support innovative thinking and action. They are the point of contact for everyone for all questions from the generation of ideas to the commercial exploitation of inventions.

SIGNO's offers are tailored to different target groups:

The SME patent campaign aims to contribute to the understanding of the patent system as well as the use of industrial property rights and provides specific “timetables” for patent application and exploitation. Small and medium-sized enterprises as well as start-ups are supported in securing their research results with up to 50% of the costs. Sample projects for this are presented on a separate SIGNO funding website *. The INSTI-KMU patent action was recognized in 2007 in a study by the European Commission (“Benchmarking National and Regional Support Services for SMEs in the Field of Intellectual and Industrial Property”) as one of 15 good practice funding programs for SMEs in the field of of commercial legal protection.

The freely accessible InnovationMarket brings innovation providers (advertisers) together with innovation users (capital providers and companies). This campaign sees itself as a dating agency for the exploitation of inventions.

With the technical information for inventors, inventors receive advice and support from experienced SIGNO partners in all questions relating to industrial property rights in general or to their own invention. How good is my idea? How do I find potential licensees? How do I behave in negotiations? The initial consultation takes up to four hours and is free of charge for the inventor.

Further information and conditions of participation on the offers of the SIGNO network as well as other federal funding offers can be found, for example, in the online funding advice of the Federal Ministry of Economics.

The competition i to the power of 3

Since 1998 there has also been an annual competition i to the power of 3 for the members of the student and adult inventor clubs. In the categories children, adolescents and adults there are three price levels (first to third place) up to 5000 € to be won. The award ceremony always takes place during the iENA trade fair in Nuremberg on the second day of the trade fair .

Participation in the iENA

SIGNO also offers the opportunity to exhibit at the world's largest inventors' fair iENA in Nuremberg. Above all, however, this is not only used for the exploitation activity; for students in the student inventor clubs, this is also an important exercise for skills in later professional life, such as openness and the presentation of products. The numerous exhibitors of the inventor clubs have so far (as of 2012) provided the largest cohesive delegation each year, which also means that many medals (award of an international jury for the best inventions at the iENA in gold, silver and bronze) and special prizes are won become.

history

The Cologne Institute for Economic Research has been entrusted with the SIGNO project management . In 2006, responsibility for INSTI was transferred from the Ministry of Research to the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology.

In April 2008 the INSTI and the exploitation offensive were reorganized and merged under the umbrella brand "SIGNO". The SIGNO program is based on three pillars, each of which is aimed at different players: SIGNO universities, entrepreneurs and inventors. SIGNO stands for the protection of ideas for commercial use.

At the turn of the year 2010/11, management was handed over to a new management, as required by law; the project management company Jülich .

On January 1, 2012, there was a decisive turning point for the inventor's clubs, which mainly consisted of schoolchildren; the Federal Ministry of Economics canceled the funding of € 2,500 in 2011, previously € 1,000.

The SIGNO guideline expired on December 31, 2015 and was replaced by the WIPANO guideline on January 1, 2016 , which was initially due to end on December 31, 2019 and has now been extended to 2023.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Preface to the award ceremony of the internal competition i hoch 3 2011
  2. ↑ http://www.iena.de
  3. ↑ Archived copy ( Memento of March 2, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
  4. ↑ Archived copy ( Memento from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive )
  5. ↑ Archived copy ( Memento from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive )
  6. ↑ WIPANO - knowledge and technology transfer through patents and standards. DKE , accessed on April 3, 2020 .