The fourth DigNA webinar, “Protection and Exploitation of IP and the Value of Patent Intelligence,” took place on 4 December 2025 and attracted over 30 attendees. The event featured the two speakers Robert Harrison and Lluis Gimeno-Fabra, who both presented for a total of 45 minutes. A 15-minute Q&A session followed afterwards.
Robert Harrison is a European Patent Attorney recognised by Managing Intellectual Property and IAM Patent 1000 as a leading practitioner in intellectual property law. He advises research institutions and technology companies on innovation strategy, patent portfolios, and technology transfer, with a particular focus on bioinformatics, advanced materials, and related emerging technologies.
Lluis Gimeno-Fabra is an Advisor to the Vice-President Patent Granting Process and Team Manager in the European Patent Office. He joined EPO in 2007, following several years in aerospace technology transfer. Amongst his other duties, Mr. Gimeno-Fabra supports the EPO Observatory on Patents and Technology in the coordination and execution of its far-reaching Working Programmes with European Institutions, with emphasis on strategic patent intelligence.
The presentations highlighted the value of patent intelligence (PI) for innovators to better understand their positioning in the complex international IP landscape. On that basis, the speakers explored intellectual property strategies for protecting and exploiting such innovations. Drawing on studies from multiple collaborative projects, they highlighted approaches to pooling IP, coordinating patent filing strategies and managing shared inventions within multidisciplinary consortia.
Attendees gained insights into aligning scientific progress with effective IP frameworks, balancing protection and collaboration, and navigating complex ownership landscapes. Practical examples illustrated how coordinated strategies can enhance commercialisation opportunities while supporting innovation across research networks, enabling sustainable development of next-generation DNA storage technologies.
All DigNA webinar recordings are available on the PEARL-DNA YouTube channel.