The deadline to apply to participate in the Intellectual Property Award 2023, the competition that fosters innovation and enhances the creativity of inventors, has been extended to January 12, 2024. The Intellectual Property Award 2023 is an initiative organized by the Ministry of Business and Made in Italy, in collaboration with Invitalia and Netval.

The competition is aimed at universities, public research organizations and Institutes of Hospitalization and Scientific Care that hold patents. Prizes will be awarded for the best research patents in six technology areas: Medtech, Climatech, Agritech, The Energy of the Future, The Future from the Space, The Future of the City (mobility, logistics, cybersecurity, telecommunications). These fields, says MiMIT ministry, "represent important challenges for research and innovation".

Each proposing entity may submit only one application for each of the six technology areas, with a maximum of three patents for each technology area. Therefore, the maximum number of applications that can be submitted by each subject is 6 for a total number not exceeding 18 patents.

This year's competition also includes a special "Women's Entrepreneurship" prize for each technological field for the best patents promoted by research groups composed of at least 50 percent women. The award is part of the "Women's Entrepreneurship" program, funded with PNRR resources, which aims to support women's presence in entrepreneurship and careers in science and technology to reduce the gender gap.

Applications will be evaluated based on criteria established by a special committee. The criteria will focus on the application character of the invention with the greatest potential from a technological point of view, the geographic scope of patent protection sought, the TRL (Technology Readiness Level) achieved, time-to-market/commercialization, and the outcome of the early stages of examination of patent applications.

The first place winners in the six fields and in the "Women's Entrepreneurship" category will be awarded 10,000 euros each, to be used for the enhancement of the patents themselves. The winning patents may be the subject of actions to promote new technologies derived from Italian public research at the upcoming Osaka 2025 World Expo in Japan.