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EURADA signs renewed Memorandum of Understanding with EUIPO

Article written by Giacomo Frisanco - Communication, Policy and Membership Manager

 

In Summer 2025, EURADA – the European Association of Development Agencies – signed a renewed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO).

The agreement was signed by João Negrão, Executive Director of EUIPO, and Francesco Molica, Director of EURADA, and reinforces the strong collaboration between the two organisations.

🔹 Why this partnership matters
Intellectual Property (IP) is a crucial driver of regional economic growth. By protecting and leveraging IP, regional development agencies (RDAs) can help local businesses to:

  • foster innovation,
  • attract investment,
  • strengthen regional competitiveness,
  • promote technology transfer,
  • and support regional identity (e.g. through geographical indications).

Through this MoU, EUIPO and EURADA commit to working together to provide better support for SMEs across Europe. The collaboration will focus on knowledge exchange, participation in events, awareness-raising, and improving access to services that help businesses protect and benefit from their IP.

🔹 What’s next
Activities under the MoU will be defined every two years in joint implementation plans. The aim is to ensure that the cooperation remains practical, aligned with both organisations’ priorities, and directly beneficial to SMEs.

This renewed partnership reflects the shared commitment of EUIPO and EURADA to empower innovative companies, reduce barriers for SMEs, and build stronger regional innovation ecosystems across Europe.

 

On 16 May 2025, as part of this renewed partnership, EURADA and EUIPO co-organised a webinar titled “Empowering regions: intellectual property as a driver for innovation and growth”. The event explored several crucial themes, including the protection of traditional EU craft and industrial products under the new geographical indications (GI) framework, and the SME Fund 2025, designed by EUIPO to assist small and medium-sized enterprises in defending their intellectual property rights. The webinar also featured interactive sessions in which participants from different regions shared their needs and challenges in the IP domain. You can watch the recording of the event at this link.

This initiative continues the tradition of annual training and knowledge-sharing between EURADA and EUIPO, with the objective of enabling regional development agencies to better support local businesses in leveraging intellectual property for innovation and growth.

 

👉 Learn more about our cooperation with EUIPO here: Intellectual Property – MoU EUIPO - EURADA - EURADA