Designing innovative tools for improving literacy on intellectual property among SMEs

Abstract

Improving intellectual property (IP) literacy among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) has lately been discussed as a means for improving IP culture within these companies. Diverse public and private actors have, therefore, developed some tools to improve IP awareness and literacy in small companies. We analysed existing tools, intending to create a better design of innovative and effective IP instruments. This study is considered an important step among the first phases of designing a new artefact. The analysis used criteria created with the support of the literature and features of the tools. We further present design recommendations for improving effectiveness of new platforms that would improve IP literacy. The final recommendations suggest that new tools should rely on customisation, interaction and reliability, and their development should be based on the criteria used in the analysis.

Keywords:

• intellectual property
• literacy
• designing
• online tools
• SMEs

Notes on contributors

Julio A. Viana is a researcher, Master in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) management and a Ph.D. candidate at Fraunhofer Institute in Leipzig, Germany. Mr Viana currently holds a scholarship from the Brazilian educational programme, Science without Borders and his research goes around SMEs development through technology transfer in Brazil. His work is under supervision of Prof. Dr Lutz Maicher and Prof. Dr Thorsten Posselt.

Lutz Maicher (Male) got his Ph.D. from Leipzig University in 2007 in data integration and is today professor for technology transfer at the computer science department of University of Jena. In parallel, he is head of the competitive intelligence research group at Fraunhofer MOEZ since 2011. His interdisciplinary research group is dedicated to use data and text mining techniques, as well as to machine learning and classification, for improved managing support and decision-making in the knowledge economy. Their solutions are about increasing the datability in technology transfer processes. The group develops and employs innovative methods to better locate and assess competences as well as intellectual assets within technology management activities. Furthermore, the group has strong competences in building web-based, interactive databases with focus on usability and user involvement. For six years from 2004 to 2006, Prof. Maicher organised and chaired the International Conference in Topic Maps Research and Applications.

Notes

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