Patent Information Users Group, Inc.

We are pleased to announce the Call for Papers for the PIUG 2021 Combined Annual and Biotech Virtual Conferenceto be held May 24-28, 2021.  The theme for the Conference (33^rd Annual & 15^th Biotech) is:

Unconventional Times Require Unconventional Search and Analysis Techniques

We are interested in papers from all sectors of the patent information community on patent searching and analysis topics related to the following:

Biotechnology-specific:

·         Prophylactic and  preventative vaccines 

·         Digital health and digital therapeutics including wearable devices, biosensors, medical devices and diagnostics

·         Policies impacting biotechnology

·         Cell and gene therapy including sequences, vector, delivery mechanisms, manufacturing/production, formulations and targeted indications

·         Presentations on scientific resources that will help biotech patent searchers develop and maintain their scientific knowledge and searching skills. Topic themes include technology platforms, biosimilars, including exclusivity information and the BPCIA “patent dance”, multi-valent antibodies as well as modifications, gene editing (CRISPR), CDR searching, combination therapeutics, and advanced sequence  searching

General areas:

·         Skills required for patent searchers as search technology changes

·         Examples of use cases in the auto industry, electronics, mechanical, pharmaceutical (chemistry & biotech), software & other sectors

·         The use of computer assisted searching such as text mining, machine learning or artificial intelligence

·         How changes in the law or regulatory procedures impact patent searching

·         The use of patent information as a pre-competitive intelligence tool, intellectual property valuation studies, in licensing/out licensing opportunity identification and patent landscaping

·         Practical suggestions to illustrate these themes are as follows:

·         Best practices in constructing patent search strategies, reporting formats, and use of new tools for the organization/management of patent alerts/watches

·         Showcase methods for effective client engagement, user experience, attorney outreach and time management

·         The incorporation use cases in the academic, corporate and other sectors

·         Examples of how a work product supports or is a component of business decisions

·         Review the use of patent information as a competitive intelligence resource

·         Approaches to fostering continuous improvement, i.e., use of analytical &/or visualization applications, implementing quality control guidelines, team collaboration and knowledge sharing practices.

In addition, as always, we would be interested in presentations about a specific search scenario with the strategy described, databases used, results identified, or other tips and tricks.

General Guidelines for submission:        

·         Send your presentation title, abstract (100-200 words), speaker name(s), affiliation, brief biography and full contact information to Shelley Pavlek (shelley.pavlek@bms.com) and Greg Roland (gregory.roland@novartis.com). Note: presentations are typically 20 min., followed by 10 min. questions and answers.

·         Please be advised that your abstract submission will be published on the PIUG web site and related media, shortly after receipt or at any time thereafter. Therefore, do not include confidential or business-sensitive information in your abstract. 

·         Further news about the program and updates regarding the conference will be posted on the PIUG web site at www.piug.org and PIUG Discussion Forum.

Deadline is February 5, 2021. 

Please share this notice within your greater patent information community to enhance our outreach efforts.  Thank you for your consideration. We look forward to seeing you at the PIUG 2021 Combined Annual and Biotech Virtual Conference!

PIUG 2021 Combined Annual and Biotech Conference Program Committee