PONS IP, a leading consulting firm specialised in offering comprehensive advice on industrial and intellectual property and new technologies for Spain, Europe and Latin America, is already part of the Technology Platform for Plant Biotechnology, BIOVEGEN. This benchmark public-private partnership exists in the plant innovation ecosystem and currently brings together 172 entities from the agri-food sector to promote collaboration and the implementation of plant innovation R&D projects and technology transfer among companies, public research organisations and the Public Administration.
The inclusion of PONS IP in BIOVEGEN as a partner means that the consulting firm becomes the first company in the industrial and intellectual property sector to be a member of the Technology Platform for Plant Biotechnology. Both entities will work together from this space to foster the strategic role of generating and managing intangible industrial and intellectual property assets to optimise the business development strategies of BIOVEGEN members, placing a special focus on trade secrets or the different types of data generated (in addition to other types of protection), as well as risk control through precise knowledge of third-party assets or support in relationships with collaborators, suppliers or partners. To better achieve this objective, PONS IP will offer its members the service of analysing and identifying industrial and/or intellectual property assets in order to validate or recommend the most suitable protection strategy for them.
Moreover, over the coming year BIOVEGEN and PONS IP will promote the joint organisation and participation in events, professional meetings or training sessions that can provide knowledge on topical issues of interest with regards to industrial and intellectual property and knowledge transfer. The aim of this is to expand strategic consulting services related to the development of asset protection strategies in a sector that is experiencing “vivacity” in terms of the number of projects, public-private collaboration activities in fields related to plant biology such as the development of agrobiological inputs, the application of new techniques to improve and develop plant varieties, the revalorisation of organic waste, the development of new sources of plant protein and extracts with application in multiple sectors, among others.
In the words of Gonzaga Ruiz de Gauna, gmanager of BIOVEGEN, the incorporation of PONS IP into the Platform is the result of the exceptional situation of the agri-food sector and plant production, “which is experiencing a great approach to knowledge and biotechnological innovation in recent years as a tool for business development and competitive improvement”. According to this individual in charge of BIOVEGEN, “based on the private sector’s need and interest in incorporating technology into production processes and strengthening ties with knowledge generators such as public and private R&D centres and universities, the need arises to have entities with proven experience and solvency in this field, and that is where we at BIOVEGEN align interests and consider the inclusion of PONS IP as a partner to be strategic, since it will provide our associates with preferential access to an entity of recognised standing and experience in managing innovation and intangible assets.”
For his part, Rafael López Moya, director of Technology Transfer at PONS IP, had a positive view on the firm’s inclusion in Biovegen: “Being part of a Technology Platform as relevant as Biovegen is a wonderful opportunity for companies to get the most out of their efforts in generating results, developments or innovations. Here at PONS IP we will help them define the best strategy for managing their intangible industrial and intellectual property assets and increasing the value of each project and, therefore, that of the company itself”.
