On September 30, 2010, starting at 10.00, inside the State University of Moldova, bl. 4, room 222, will be inaugurated the OFFICE OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY PROTECTION. That Office was created in the implementation of the TEMPUS Project "MERCURY" (144855-TEMPUS-2008DE-JPHES (2008-4753)) under the title "Towards the research entrepreneurial university models in higher education in Russia, Ukraine and Moldova".

The overall objective of the Project is stimulating and facilitating the structural changes in higher education systems in the Russian Federation, Ukraine and Moldova by research, adaptation and promotion of European experience to support the research entrepreneurial university models, to convert universities into centers of innovative development and of building bridges between higher education, economy and society.

The project was launched in February 2009 in Saarbrucken Germany, Saarland University, being supposed to be implemented over three years. This regional project aims at taking the best practices of EU partner universities in the administration of the intellectual property research and management process. Among Project partners are found institutions from Germany, Spain, Finland, Poland, Russian Federation, and Ukraine. The Republic of Moldova is represented in the project by the State University of Moldova (SUM) and the State Agency on Intellectual Property of the Republic of Moldova (AGEPI).

The opening will be attended by Mr. George CIOCANU, university professor, PhD, Rector of SUM; Mr. Peter GAUGAS, university professor, local coordinator of the Tempus Project "Mercury"; Mr. Valentin ARION, university professor and coordinator of the National Tempus Office of the Republic; Mrs. Dr. Lilia BOLOCAN, Director General of AGEPI, etc.

The Office will provide the following services:

• assistance in patenting inventions and registration of research results;
  consulting in intellectual property protection field ;
  methodical assistance on commercialization of industrial property objects, research results and innovative ideas;
• access to national and international patent, trademark, industrial design databases and non-patent literature;
• access to information on opportunities to participate in various project contests etc.

As a purpose, the project must be materialized by creating a climate conducive to innovation, contribute to technology transfer, make possible the involvement/commitment of students, graduates, teachers and researchers in entrepreneurial activities and ensure the protection of intellectual property objects created at the universities concerned. The completion deadline of the Project is 14 January 2012. The TEMPUS Project "Mercury" is required to meet the needs of universities to improve their relations with the industrial sector by creating a support system for entrepreneurial activities based on research results.

To achieve the objectives of the project, there are provided a series of concrete activities which include study visits, training of personnel of the technology transfer centers of IP management units, study of best practices and elaboration of recommendations for the beneficiary partner universities, knowledge dissemination and promotion activities.

For additional information: http://www.mercury-project.eu/