Create, Protect, Innovate: MIPEF offers University of Oulu researchers and students courses in intellectual property rights

IPR

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**Khashayar Vaezi**, a doctoral researcher in Fibre and Particle Engineering at the University of Oulu, says he joined the course to gain a clearer understanding of how intellectual property works and how it can be used to protect and develop new ideas.

How can you make sure a great research idea doesn’t just sit in a drawer? How do you protect an invention so it can be further developed and commercialized? And what should you actually know about patents and intellectual property already during your studies?

These are the kinds of questions addressed by the Create – Protect – Innovate: Bringing Ideas to Market online course offered by the European Patent Office (EPO). The course is part of EPO’s Modular IP Education Framework (MIPEF), in which the University of Oulu is a proud partner. Create – Protect – Innovate and the other MIPEF courses give researchers and students the opportunity to deepen their understanding of innovation, patents, and intellectual property in a European context. The courses are designed primarily for Master’s and PhD students, but they are valuable for anyone who wants to learn how ideas can be identified, protected, and brought to market. For University of Oulu researchers and students, MIPEF courses are free of charge.

The Create – Protect – Innovate course covers, among other topics:

Fundamentals and types of intellectual property rights

The patenting process and use of patent databases

Protecting and commercializing innovations

Licensing, contracts, and IP strategies

The course has two levels: Entry and Advanced. The Entry course is ideal for those seeking a foundation, while the Advanced course goes deeper into IP strategies and commercialization. Both levels consist of five modules, complemented by videos, podcasts, interactive exercises, and real-life case studies. Students also have access to tutored discussion forums and a final exam. By completing all modules, participants earn an official EPO certificate.

In spring 2024, the course was available in 62 universities across 26 countries. By autumn 2025, the network has grown to over 80 universities, and every year more than 1,700 students across Europe enroll in MIPEF courses.

Registration for the Entry and Advanced courses opens on 29 September 2025 and closes on 16 October 2025. Learn more and register here.

Why participate – researchers share their views!

Khashayar Vaezi, a doctoral researcher in Fibre and Particle Engineering at the University of Oulu, says he joined the course to gain a clearer understanding of how intellectual property works and how it can be used to protect and develop new ideas.

Vaezi completed both the Entry and Advanced courses and feels he benefited greatly. “I learned the basics of patents and other IP rights as well as how to identify protectable ideas. I also learned the steps involved in securing and managing those rights,” he explains. “What I found especially useful was how the course highlighted the strategic value of IP for businesses and innovators and gave practical examples of using patents to support innovation.”

He also found the courses well designed and accessible. “They were well-structured, easy to follow, and offered a good balance between theory and practice. The pace and clear examples made complex topics approachable,” Vaezi says.

Veli-Matti Niska, a doctoral researcher in Environmental and Chemical Engineering, decided to take part because he had already been interested in intellectual property and attended IPR courses organized by the Innovation Centre. He also wanted to deepen his knowledge of IP rights at the European level.

He too gained valuable practical insights from the course. “I learned why IP rights exist, what kinds of rights there are, and how they can be used to protect and commercialize innovations. I also learned how the patenting process works in the EU, how to use patent databases, and what kind of information patents can provide,” Niska explains.

He emphasizes the value of the study materials and case examples. “The course materials included interesting case studies of real-life innovations where different IP rights were used effectively. In addition, whenever needed, experts in different subject areas were available to answer questions.”

Maarit Jokela, IPR Manager at the University of Oulu, also warmly recommends both the MIPEF courses and Innovation Centre’s own IPR trainings. “IP rights play a crucial role when ideas and research results are developed into new products, services, and solutions. Understanding intellectual property makes it easier to protect research results, enable their commercialization, build competitiveness, and act responsibly,” Jokela says.