Inclusion and diversity
As an organisation with flexible working and family-friendly policies, The Intellectual Property Office’s (IPO)’s ‘returners to STEM’ programme is an initiative it is particularly proud of. As the applications portal reopens for 2023, we hear from people who have already taken up the opportunity to take a first step back on the STEM career ladder after a break.
The IPO has recently been proud to achieve the British Dyslexia Association SMART award, in recognition of good practice when supporting the needs of dyslexic and neuro-diverse individuals. Here we take a look at how colleagues with dyslexia are able to contribute positively to life and work at the IPO through their 'different way of thinking'.
Next in our 'Meet the Board' series, we speak to Penny Phillpotts, Director of People and Place at the IPO. We discuss where her career started, her experience since joining the IPO last year and her priorities for the future.
The IPO is part of an international taskforce set up by the USPTO to improve the representation of women in IP. Nicola Smith, our Diversity and Inclusion Cultural Advisor, told us about her recent visit to join taskforce members.
Following National Inclusion Week (26 Sep – 2 Oct) it’s now National Dyslexia Week and we’re reflecting on our accessibility progress here at the Intellectual Property Office (IPO). As I browsed through the archives, I came across a blog written …
Patent examiners are the technical experts who examine inventions coming into the IPO and apply IP law to see if a patent can be granted. Some of our female patent examiners tell us about their STEM route to a successful career.
The IPO has been collaborating with Code First Girls on a series of Mass Open Online Courses (MOOCs). These courses gave an insight into some of the STEM career paths at the IPO and how people of all ages and genders can enter the field.
A team of more than 40 ‘crowdsourced’ patent examiners took on the task of upgrading all 1,028 pages of the IPO’s 35-year-old Manual of Patent Practice, aiming to refresh its dated language and make it inclusive. Senior Patent Examiner Phil Lawrence tells us more.
National Inclusion Week 2021 has begun; it’s a week to celebrate, inspire and recognise our staff networks and to value the differences we each bring to the workplace, making the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) a fair and brilliant place to …
Dundee-based designer, Deborah, creates bespoke pants for everyone from your youngest cousin to your grandad, selling clothes from sizes XXS to 6XL. Her business, Wilde Mode, creates underwear and accessories for everyone, ensuring her products are sustainable, sensory-friendly, vegan and cruelty-free as well as gender and size inclusive. She protects her designs from copycat products using intellectual property rights.
We spoke to Deborah about how she’s championing inclusivity and why it’s so important to her as a business owner.
Recent Comments