Industry Giants and Tech Trailblazers launch IPHatchUK® at Glasgow's Super College

To foster innovation and collaboration, the City of Glasgow College played host to the launch of the IPHatchUK® 23/24 Open Innovation competition on Tuesday 30 January.

The pioneering competition, organised by Piece Futures Ltd. in collaboration with key partners including Scottish Enterprise, Glasgow City Innovation District and Codebase, aims to unlock the potential of open innovation by bringing together diverse technology patents from various Multi-National Corporations (MNC’s), including Nokia Technologies, Panasonic, RICOH, and NEC. The event was marked by a gathering of industry and civic partners and entrepreneurs, eager to find out the technology patents being made available to the next wave of Scottish tech entrepreneurs.

There was enthusiasm about the impact of the competition on the regional and national innovation landscape, emphasising the importance of cross-sector collaboration in driving economic growth, technological progress, and start-up success.

The multinational corporations backing the competition, Nokia Technologies, Panasonic, RICOH, and NEC have all expressed eagerness to engage with emerging technologies and ideas. Their participation underscores the importance of connecting established technology leaders with emerging talents, creating a dynamic ecosystem for growth.

Roy Gardner, Vice Principal of Corporate Development & Innovation at City of Glasgow College said:

“We were delighted to welcome back partners for the second IPHatchUK® launch event at our City Campus.

How we leverage our extensive innovation network to support start-ups is something that will continue to drive the activities of the college and the Scottish Institute of Innovation & Knowledge Exchange, in response to Scotland’s Entrepreneurial Campus Report.

We hope competitions like IPHatchUK® inspire the next generation of student start-ups and we do not doubt that this competition will extend across the City Region and Scotland, illustrating the vital role education plays in start-up creation and scaling.”

IPHatchUK® aims to uncover new solutions underpinned by intellectual property across various sectors, ranging from digital transformation, security, sustainability, data analytics, A/V communications and AI robotics. The competition provides a platform for start-ups to harness their innovative ideas and collaborate with industry giants, potentially turning concepts into commercial and sustainability success stories.

The launch event included insightful panel discussions featuring representatives from civic and corporate partners, and the opportunity to network with collaborators and mentors.

As the competition kicks off, start-ups and entrepreneurs are encouraged to submit their applications by April 30, 2024, with the chance of not only gaining access to unique IP but the potential for further support and investment.

More details on the patent portfolios and the application process can be found on the IPHatchUK® website.