Bring IP Education to Your Community with IPOEF’s New Toolkit 

IPO Education Foundation challenges YOU to celebrate National Science Week (August 10-18) by teaching intellectual property in your community! Use the new “IP Education for Next Gen Innovators (Grades 6-12)” toolkit to connect with local schools or coordinate with your company or firm to host an activity. The toolkit is meant to complement STEM programs and can be customized according to the presentation length or IP knowledge of the students, and it includes a sample email template to use for outreach. The Foundation’s Educate Committee developed the toolkit as a guide for IP professionals to deliver essential IP concepts to middle and high school students. It is intended to be a light lift on presenters providing turnkey materials, interactive exercises, and more.

A big thank you to the IPO members who have already taken the toolkit into their communities to reach over 788 students in five U.S. states and one group internationally. Our goal is to reach at least 2,500 students by Spring 2025 and we hope you will join us in connecting with schools and community programs to empower the next generation of IP aware students.  

IPO Member, Johnson & Johnson Creates Internal Program to Leverage IPOEF Toolkit 

Nicole Bradley and Karen Harding of Johnson & Johnson have engaged the Johnson & Johnson US–based IP Department to join in on the effort to teach intellectual property in local communities with the “IP Education for Next Gen Innovators” toolkit. They have created 11 teams from California to Florida to coordinate activities at local schools, churches, and after school programs, and hope to reach 1,000 students by Halloween (October 31, 2024).  Each team has a designated coordinator to organize outreach and coordinate presenters. To incentivize their teams and keep it fun, they’ve even added a prize for the team who reaches the highest number of students: a bobble head of their Chief IP Counsel!  Making the initial contact can take persistence but leveraging personal connections definitely helps. Karen noted “we’re trying to reach kids in summer programs, including STEM camps and having our full IP team (not just attorneys) involved in identifying potential community partners is helping us expand our reach”.   Nicole also suggests “community outreach programs that exist within your company are another great way to identify opportunities and local organizations who would be interested in the toolkit.”  

Summer is the perfect time to reach out to the local schools and community programs. Many teachers are setting up activities for the fall semester. Help IPOEF achieve its goal of reaching 2,500 students by spring 2025! Don’t forget to share feedback about your experience with the toolkit so we can continue to improve the materials and track the number of students reached.  

2024 Awards Celebration at The Mayflower Hotel in Washington, DC

Join IPO Education Foundation on December 12 for the annual Awards Celebration at The Mayflower Hotel in Washington, DC! IP practitioners, government officials, and attendees from all over the world take part in this event to promote IP awareness and support the work of IPOEF to further efforts of promoting an understand of and respect for intellectual property and its value to society. Save the date to celebrate accomplishments in the field of IP, innovation, and creativity!

Additional event information including honorees and sponsorship opportunities will be available this summer. For questions, please contact Deputy Executive Director, Kristen Lurye, klurye@ipo.org.

IPO Education Foundation’s Celebration of World IP Day

This year, the theme for World Intellectual Property Day was “IP and the SDGs: Building our common future with innovation and creativity.” ” IPO Education Foundation participated in an event on Capitol Hill to celebrate sponsored by Representative Darrel Issa’s office. IPO Education Foundation President Henry Hadad (Bristol-Myers Squibb) spoke on a panel titled “IP as a Solution to Achieve SDGs – Education, Diversity, Access.” He spoke about the efforts of the Foundation including the new educational toolkit and the Awards Celebration to inspire the next generation’s understanding of IP as a powerful driver of innovation and economic growth. The program included opening remarks from USPTO Director Kathi Vidal, Senator Chris Coons, Representative Darryl Issa, and Congressman Hank Johnson. If you missed the full program, the recording is available on USPTO.gov.

Why Didn’t I Think of That?

“Why Didn’t I Think of That?” is a virtual invention competition for students. IPOEF promoted nine finalists and the public voted for their three favorite inventions! The winners were announced in March and were each paired with an industry professional to coach them about opportunities to advance their inventions. Coaches include inventor and CEO Louis Foreman (Enventys), Director of Incubation and Strategy Elizabeth Scallon (HP Inc.), and businessman and strategist John Underfer (Worldwide IP Solutions). We look forward to sharing the progress the students have made with their coaches in the coming months.  

Louis Foreman, CEO, Enventys 

Louis is a prolific inventor and expert around intellectual property, open innovation and entrepreneurship. He has created 9 successful start-ups and is an inventor of 10 registered US patents, and his team is responsible for the development and monetization of 700+ more.

Elizabeth Scallon, Director of Incubation Enablement, HP Inc.

Elizabeth is a scientist, mentor, and leader in scientific and technological innovation. She is known for a keen ability to locate disruptive and innovative technology, helping internal founders at HP build and unleash innovative businesses. Elizabeth recently cofounded Find Ventures, a non-profit organization providing transformational non-dilutive grants and support to under-resourced entrepreneurs in Washington State. She is also a professor at the University of Washington teaching entrepreneurship.

John Underfer, President, Worldwide IP Solutions

John’s expertise in intellectual property comes from experience managing and providing strategic direction to an international law firm that specialized in assisting corporations and US law firms with filing and prosecution of patents and trademarks. His current role focuses on client relationship management and business development to identify new opportunities and technologies to pursue.

2024 Winners

Click on the names below to learn more about their inventions.

12 and Younger Category

Ava-Elizabeth B., OH

13-15 Year Old Category

Tarun B., OH

16+ Years Old Category

Nicholas and Christopher K., CA

Thank you Gold Donors!

Foundation activities are possible because of the support of our donors and sponsors. If you’d like to learn more about IPOEF or become a donor, please visit IPOEF.org/donate.