PONS Business School and the Instituto Superior de Derecho y Economía (ISDE, Higher Institute of Law and Economics), in collaboration with ACCIÓ, the Government of Catalonia’s agency for business competitiveness, have presented the first edition of the Master’s Degree in Intellectual Property and Technological Innovation in Barcelona. This postgraduate programme is designed for students and working professionals with an international focus who want to lead the strategic management of intangible assets in innovative companies and highly competitive regulated environments. It was launched within the framework of the “Technological Innovation and Industrial Property” session held at the headquarters of the academic institution ISDE in Barcelona.

This commitment comes at a time when intangible assets already account for around 92% of the market value of S&P 500 companies, proof that business value creation increasingly relies on talent, technology, data, trademarks and intellectual property.  In parallel, global investment in intangible assets is growing three times faster than investment in physical assets, consolidating IP as a lever of technological sovereignty and competitiveness in advanced and emerging economies.

“The talent that makes the difference today is the talent that connects innovation, business and legal protection. This Master’s degree, now offered in Barcelona and entirely in English, is designed for learning by doing, using real cases and a comprehensive approach that allows you to lead projects with impact from day one”, said Erika Jiménez Leube, Director of the Master’s degree and current President of LES Spain & Portugal.

In turn, Managing Director of PONS Business School, María Jesús Magro, reiterated that “this edition of the Master’s degree in Barcelona continues our commitment to boosting business competitiveness, as well as the talent and employability of students through training. This programme makes it possible for us to bring the professional reality closer to the classroom, further supported by our Scholarships for Excellence programme for the best profiles”.

“Barcelona is a hub of knowledge and companies that demand profiles which are capable of dialogue with technology and business. The ISDE-PONS collaboration offers practical training, connected to the market and with an international focus”, emphasised Montse Pintó Sala, Executive Director of ISDE Barcelona.

“Our country is not used to protecting its innovation, it’s true, but the innovative potential of our companies is comparable to that of any country in our environment. What we must do is train our business network, and this Master’s degree is a good opportunity to do so”, stated Joan Sansaloni, Head of the Intellectual Property Team at ACCIÓ.

The Master’s degree, co-organised by PONS Business School and ISDE together with the academic collaboration of the consulting firm PONS IP, will last one academic year (60 ECTS) and will start in September. The programme combines legal, technological and business knowledge, with on-site and online modalities, from Madrid and Barcelona.  The postgraduate programme will include the option of an internship of up to 6 months in law firms and legal departments from among the more than 250 companies collaborating with the programme.

In this first edition, the Master’s degree will have three starting windows throughout the year via its modules so that it can be completed in a more flexible way. In addition, and through Fundación PONS, scholarships for excellence will be offered to support talent and facilitate access to the Master’s degree. The call for applications, requirements and deadlines will be communicated through the Fundación’s official channels.

First-class academic programme and faculty

The Academic Board in Barcelona will be directed by Erika Jiménez Leube, a lawyer with more than 20 years of professional and academic experience leading the management of intangible assets for multinational companies such as FLUIDRA and ASML, together with José Manuel Otero Lastres as Honorary Director. Otero Lastres, one of the most renowned professionals in the field of industrial property, holds a PhD in Law from the University of Santiago de Compostela. He is a Professor of Commercial Law at the University of Alcalá, as well as a recipient of the Cross of Honour of the Order of St. Raymond of Peñafort, reinforcing the balance between university excellence and professional practice.

The course plan, taught entirely in English, is structured into four core modules that cover the complete cycle of intangible asset management:

• Module I — Patents & Technological Innovation: Luis Ignacio Vicente del Olmo, Strategic Advisor at PONS IP, and Antonio López-Carrasco, Senior Patent Expert at Telefónica R&D, will address topics ranging from patent strategy to technology transfer and applied competitive intelligence.

• Module II — Soft Skills for IP & Innovation Leaders: led by Eugenia Navarro (Spain Regional Community Leader at CLOC), this module focuses on transversal skills–legal operations, executive communication and change management, which are all critical for the global in-house role.

• Module III — Trademarks, Competition & Advertising: Led by Isabel Cortés, Director of International Relations at PONS IP, and Rosalia Salvia, Director of Intellectual Property at ISDIN, this module will explore trademark protection, competition, advertising and brand enforcement in international markets.
• Module IV — Copyright, Entertainment Law & Cybersecurity: Bep Moll, producer and content strategist, will bring a pioneering approach to attention economy, digital monetisation and scalable narrative design in audiovisual and platform environments.

Positive overall trend in IP activity throughout the world

Global industrial property activity continues to grow steadily. In 2024, according to the WIPO, patent applications reached a record 3.7 million, up 5% year-on-year, and the demand for trademarks has consolidated at around 15 million classes. This data reinforces the need for advanced IP and innovation training to enable current and future professionals to operate in multiple languages with a global perspective in the jurisdictional framework and the ability to protect, explore and scale their own innovation. According to EUIPO data, IP rights-intensive industries in the EU already generate 47.9% of GDP as well as one in three jobs created in Europe. Companies that are able to protect, explore and scale their own innovation attract more investment, generate more skilled employment, and retain talent as a key factor in their competitiveness.