PONS IP, a leading consulting firm specialising in comprehensive advice on intellectual property and new technologies for Spain, Europe and Latin America, and Asociación Empresarial para la Protección de las Plantas (AEPLA, Business Association for Plant Protection), an industry organisation that represents companies dedicated to plant health, conventional plant protection products, biosolutions, biotechnology, and digital and precision agriculture, have announced a collaboration agreement to promote a legislative environment that fosters technological sovereignty. This agreement also promotes the leadership and competitiveness of the Spanish agri-food sector through the intensive use of industrial property together with increased public awareness about the benefits and safety of comprehensive plant health solutions.
This partnership between the two entities reinforces the agri-food sector’s commitment to boosting its innovation by improving access to knowledge and use of industrial property tools that better protect the R&D&I generated by AEPLA members. According to the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Spain has become the EU’s leading country in the implementation of innovation projects in the agri-food sector, having more than 700 innovative projects within the framework of the European Innovation Partnership for Agricultural Productivity and Sustainability between 2014 and 2022. The collaboration agreement between PONS IP and AEPLA will enable both entities to develop specific activities and projects in the areas of training, knowledge, research and study that are common to both institutions in the area of industrial property, intellectual property, technology transfer and R&D&I.
Furthermore, to achieve greater awareness and knowledge, visibility must be given to the projects and actions that are carried out in search of a more innovative and sustainable agriculture. The agreement also states that PONS Foundation, a reference space for dialogue on matters related to innovation, will support the dissemination and convening of meetings that enhance the impact of joint actions between PONS IP and AEPLA.
The need for qualified profiles in a sector that is as innovative as agriculture represents a challenge for the development of the sector itself. That is why recruiting and training young talent will be another line of action in which AEPLA and the PONS Business School will collaborate together to access and develop specific training programmes in new technologies and digitalisation, as well as prepare the new generation of leaders in the agri-food sector of the future. The PONS division specialised in offering training and management solutions for the business sector will provide AEPLA with an extensive training catalogue, including both on-site and in-company or e-learning opportunities, in addition to its resources and expertise to achieve this shared objective.
Nuria Marcos, General Manager of PONS IP, considers the agreement with AEPLA to represent “the confirmation of our commitment to supporting the protection of innovation in a sector of strategic importance for Spain, such as plant health. Supporting R&D&I activity with industrial property strategies is key to ensure that we continue progressing as a society and, to do so, a solid, stable and committed legislative framework must be created. We believe that if Spanish companies focus on promoting the industrial property rights generated by our production model, we will enhance our technological sovereignty, our productivity and, by extension, the quality of life of our citizens”.
Manuel Melgarejo, President of AEPLA, furthermore states: “We are very pleased to announce this collaboration agreement on intellectual property in plant health. Establishing clear guidelines and mechanisms for protecting intellectual property, while also guaranteeing technological transfer and competition in the sector, makes it possible to create a legislative and business framework that fosters innovation, collaboration and sustainable development in the agricultural sector”.
