On 10 March, the new V.O. ‘Meet the Expert’ location was opened on the Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) campus. This additional location will make V.O. even more accessible to, among others, high tech entrepreneurs and organizations.
The new location can be found in the Disruptor building (the former MultiMediaPaviljoen) on the TU/e Business Campus. Acquired by Kadans Science Partner, these premises offer (start-up) high tech companies flexible workspace in a knowledge-intensive environment.
Following the V.O. locations in Leiden, Noordwijk, Groningen and The Hague, this is the fifth V.O. ‘Meet the Expert’ location. Daan Wouters, patent attorney at V.O. Eindhoven, will be holding office at the location once a week. “I’m happy with our miniature office. We already have a fully-fledged office on the High Tech Campus Eindhoven, but this new location will give us an even more accessible presence close to our target groups near TU/e. Apart from that, it also feels like ‘coming home’ for me as this is the university where I myself studied and achieved my doctorate.”
Q&A port of call
Tech entrepreneurs can visit the new location with a variety of questions. Says Mr. Wouters: “We are a Q&A port of call, answering questions covering the entire intellectual property (IP) range, such as trademark law, confidentiality, contracts, licenses, patents and infringement. But we are also here precisely for those companies who are learning about the ways to protect their IP for the first time.
Raising awareness
From experience, V.O. know that it is particularly important for start-up tech entrepreneurs to start thinking about their IP at an early stage. “In order to grow their business, such companies would like investors to get interested in them. In turn, such investors would then like to know the value of a company’s IP portfolio. If an entrepreneur is unable to demonstrate that value, they might miss out. We’d like to make companies aware of the importance of taking IP protection into account as early as the research stage of their company’s inventions. Moreover, we can also show them what the potential of IP is for companies, so that they can get the most out of their intellectual property. We’re happy to assist them in all that,” says Mr. Wouters.
No appointment needed
Entrepreneurs don’t need an appointment to drop by the office for an initial meeting. The first meeting is free of charge. Says Mr. Wouters: “Depending on the question, we’ll determine the subsequent course of action together with the entrepreneur. We might refer them to other experts at V.O. or maybe we’re able to carry out a concrete assignment. We can go about this in various ways: on the basis of an hourly rate or on the basis of a number of hours we’ve agreed on in advance; but always in consultation with the client and tailored to their needs.”
You can find the ‘Meet the Expert’ location in the Disruptor building on the TU/e Business Campus, at de Horsten 1 in Eindhoven. The location can be visited every Thursday afternoon between 1.00 and 5.00 PM.
