Recently, at the State University of Moldova (USM) was inaugurated the Office of Intellectual Property, its opening being possible due to the MERCURY TEMPUS Project "Towards the research entrepreneurial university models in higher education in Russia, Ukraine and Moldova" launched in February 2009, with a duration of three years.

The opening meeting of the new Office was attended by Univ. Prof. Michael Revenco, Pro-rector for Scientific Work of SUM, Dr. Lilia Bolocan, Director General of the State Agency on Intellectual Property (AGEPI), Univ. Prof. Valentin Arion, Coordinator of the National Office TEMPUS Moldova, Univ. Prof. Peter Gaugas, Local Coordinator of TEMPUS MERCURY Project, professors of the university, representatives of partner institutions of SUM, students, representatives of mass media.

In his opening speech, Professor Peter Gaugas made a brief review of the project objectives and activities carried out during 18 months of its launch, saying that alongside with universities partners to the project from Ukraine and Russian Federation, it is desired to transform SUM into an innovative development center, thus using the experience of Alicante (Spain), Saarland (Germany) and Krakow (Poland) universities as business models of successful research.

In his address to the participants in the project, as well as to the future beneficiaries of the IP Office, Mr. Valentin Arion, Coordinator of the National Office TEMPUS Moldova, addressed the importance of efficient use of resources made available in the Tempus Projects by the European donors, including the Mercury Project, but also the need to ensure the viability and sustainability of the achieved results. Using the offered opportunity, Mr. Arion has also mentioned that on October 5, 2010, TEMPUS will celebrate 20 years since its launch, SUM being a leader in the implementation of the named project in the Republic of Moldova.

Mrs. Lilia Bolocan, Director General of AGEPI, that is a partner in Mercury Project, congratulated the State University of Moldova for the recorded results in the research-innovation-patenting activity, and also expressed her belief that the opening of IP Office and later of Technology Transfer Office will lead to an increase in the level of innovation activity within the institution and in the number of inventions implemented in the real sector, thus contributing to national economic growth and, respectively, to the welfare of population. Also, in the inauguration ceremony AGEPI offered the IP Office a card set in the IP field, which is, as said the Director General of AGEPI, only the first action of this kind, SUM being supposed to benefit from a project of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) on the acquisition of specialized literature of both the IP Office and the SUM Library.

In his speech, the SUM Pro-rector Michael Revenco spotlighted the importance of IP Office for the diligent youth of the Republic of Moldova, saying that they are the ones who should be the first beneficiaries of this project. It is the duty of SUM administration, teachers to guide students so that at graduation they possess not only high quality specialized knowledge, but also entrepreneurial skills to launch thrive business.

The event ended with the visiting of the IP Office premises and with good wishes and good luck addressed by the participants to Mrs. Tatiana Bulimaga, Executive Director, and to Mr. John Bulimestru, Manager of IP Office.

It should be mentioned that the Intellectual Property Office of SUM will offer such services as:

• 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. It will provide services not only to students and teachers of SUM, but also to the public concerned, including the business environment in our country.

The event was widely covered by the local radio and TV stations, because of the novelty presented for the university community in the Republic of Moldova, but also thanks to the importance attributed by national authorities to innovation, intellectual property and technology transfer in the economic recovery of the country.