Talking innovation in Kerala

Last month, I participated in a one-day India-UK workshop on innovation and technology commercialisation. This programme was jointly organised by my colleagues from the UK Science and Innovation Network and UK Trade and Investment in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. See press article here.

I was one of six panelists in a discussion on Internationalising Innovations – Opportunities in the UK. Through my conversations with the attendees, I could sense that there was keen interest from Indian companies to explore UK as a destination of choice for establishing overseas operations. The good news is that from an intellectual property (IP) perspective, the UK offers several benefits. I highlighted a select few during the panel discussion. I have listed those here:

1) Patent Box: If you are selling a patented product, then a lower corporation tax of 10% is applicable rather than the regular 20%. See details here.

2) Innovation Vouchers: If you are a small and medium-sized enterprise, you may be eligible to apply for these vouchers worth up to £5000. The grant may be used for availing expert services.

3) Patents – accelerated processing: The UK Intellectual Property Office (UK IPO) offers many pathways for expediting the processing of your patent applications such as patent prosecution highway, PCT fast track, and green channel.

4) Toolkit for Indo-UK collaborations: In order to strengthen partnerships between organisations in India and the UK, the UK IPO has developed a suite of model agreements to help manage joint IP.

5) IP for business tools: For a quick review of IP basics and evaluation of your company’s IP health, tools such as
are available for use at no cost.

If you are an Indian company interested in setting up your business in the UK, I would be happy to connect you with my colleagues who could assist you with relevant information. I look forward to hearing from you!