The UK Government’s Patent Box scheme could lead to a rise in innovation in the UK, according to a new report from innovative technology and design consultancy Cambridge Design Partnership and international patent and trade mark attorney firm Marks & Clerk.
The report, ‘Patent Box: An industry report on incentivising UK innovation’, which explores the Patent Box scheme and its impact on UK innovation, has revealed that the initiative is likely to encourage big business to remain in the UK, but that the Government should do more to help SMEs with incentives to encourage innovation.
In depth interviews were carried out with managing directors and heads of R&D of SMEs, as well as R&D experts, IP managers and tax directors in senior roles at techMark firms and MNEs.
It revealed a knowledge gap between SMEs and multinational organisations when it came to patenting their innovations, with one in three SMEs missing out on big financial rewards by failing to fully protect their work. There was also a huge polarisation among SMEs in terms of product patent coverage: in approximately half of the firms interviewed, patents covered less than 10% of products, whilst the remainder had patent coverage of over 90%.
Research also revealed that in countries where schemes similar to Patent Box had been introduced in 2007 and 2008 (e.g. Belgium, The Netherlands and Luxembourg), numbers of patent applications increased over the next three years, despite a decrease in patent numbers in the UK, the USA and Japan during the same period (widely attributed to the financial crisis).
Traditionally, numbers of patent applications in the UK have been lower than in other developed countries. The Patent Box scheme aims to address this shortfall and reward R&D in UK business by offering companies lower tax rates on worldwide profits made from products with qualifying patents covering them. HMRC predicts that the scheme will provide £1.1 billion in tax relief by 2019, equalling that provided by the well-established R&D Tax Credits.
The new report provides a framework for future assessment of the success of the Government’s Patent Box initiative, which was implemented in April 2013. By establishing a set of key metrics against which patent output can be measured, it will be possible to evaluate the potential commercial impact of R&D within a company to help inform future decisions.
David Lewis, Technology Business Development Manager, Cambridge Design Partnership commented: “Our research has revealed that the Patent Box has the potential to deliver significant benefits for companies participating in the scheme. By financially incentivising patent filing it should also encourage creativity and innovation, increasing the focus on technology development to enhance the UK’s competitive advantage. Our work has, however, highlighted that the UK Government needs to work harder to ensure SMEs are aware of the scheme as larger corporations seize the opportunity. At Cambridge Design Partnership we’re keen to see a rise in the level of innovation, along with a boost to the UK skills base needed to deliver it.”
Philip Martin, Partner and Patent Attorney, Marks & Clerk, added: “Although UK companies understand that they have to innovate to stay ahead in a competitive market, many do not realise the need to protect those ideas from the competition in order to take full commercial advantage of their work. Particularly concerning is the knowledge gap between large companies and many SMEs as to the importance of patenting inventions. The Patent Box scheme will hopefully help to redress what has often been considered a national weakness, by offering businesses extra incentives to apply for patents.”
The full report ‘Patent Box: An industry report on incentivising UK innovation’ is available to download for free at www.cambridge-design.co.uk/patent-box, which contains useful insights for businesses including:
• metrics set up to measure activity and effectiveness of the scheme
• scenarios to illustrate the benefits and strategic importance that taking up the initiative could deliver
• findings to encourage SMEs to start patenting
Interviews with businesses (8 SMEs, 5 large firm and MNEs) were conducted by Bassel Namih and Edward Cronan, University of Cambridge, Judge Business School, on behalf of Cambridge Design Partnership and Marks & Clerk in June 2013.
About Cambridge Design Partnership
Cambridge Design Partnership is an innovative technology and design consulting company that develops ‘first of a kind’ products in the medical, consumer and cleantech sectors. We combine leading engineering talent with business acumen and a deep understanding of the technical and human needs that drive innovation.
Cambridge Design Partnership’s multi-disciplined experts and proven process will benefit any multinational or ambitious company aiming to maximise their return on investment in innovation.
Working as an integrated team, the company creates new products with a dynamic, flexible approach that leads to enduring client relationships, anchored by high quality work and excellent customer service. Our diverse team of engineers, scientists and designers has grown rapidly to establish a world-leading reputation for technical excellence, astute project management and, above all, thinking differently.
Contact Laura Cavaliere at CDP for more information: [email protected] / +44 (0) 1223 264428
Media contacts: Andrea Berghäll/Katia Bouznik, EML Wildfire Technology PR: [email protected] / +44 208 408 8000
About Marks & Clerk
The Marks & Clerk group is recognised as a world leader in intellectual property. Our patent attorneys, trade mark attorneys, solicitors and consultants offer a comprehensive range of services – covering patents, trade marks, designs, domain names and copyright. This includes protection worldwide, portfolio management, IP strategy, commercialisation, licensing, enforcement, due diligence, litigation, valuation and product design consultancy. The extent of our resources means we are able to offer expertise covering an exceptionally diverse range of technologies and commercial sectors.
Our international network of 17 offices – in the UK (eight locations), France (two locations), Luxembourg, Canada, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and Australia – and unrivalled IP connections around the world, enable us to provide single point access to a consistently high quality and cost-effective service both locally and globally.
www.marks-clerk.com
[email protected]
Contact Richard Holme at Marks & Clerk for more information: [email protected] / +44 (0) 20 7420 0104
__________________________________________________