Intellectual Property Manager

Are you passionate about life sciences and prepared to broaden your scientific horizon with a new legal terminology? Are you ready to make a real impact by translating the inventions of our world class scientists into patent applications? Are you curious how patents are partnered by our business and new ventures managers for the benefit of patients and consumers? Then you're the colleague we're looking for! Come and join a skilled and engaged team dedicated to drive the academia-to-society transition for VIB inventions.

VIB is an entrepreneurial research institute in life sciences that focuses on basic science and translating scientific results into pharmaceutical, agricultural and industrial applications. VIB is funded by the Flemish government and works in close partnership with five Flemish universities Ghent University, KU Leuven, University of Antwerp, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, and Hasselt University.VIB s Innovation & Business team (VIB2) consists of Intellectual Property (IP), business development, new venture and discovery sciences professionals supported by a skilled administrative and paralegal team. The team is highly complementary and works closely together to create value out of the scientific inventions from the institute. The IP team (currently 4 IP managers and one paralegal expert) manages a portfolio of +250 patent families and assists the business and new ventures teams to set up partnering deals with the industry in a pro-active and creative way. VIB is also firmly rooted in a long-standing tradition of setting up start-up companies. Since its foundation in 1996, VIB has created >25 start-up companies. The link between basic research and valorization has made VIB a catalyst for the ever-growing biotech hotspot in Flanders.

To further strengthen and expand its activities, VIB is recruiting an additional IntellectualProperty Manager.

Your Job

As an intellectual property manager, you will be responsible to drive the patenting activities for specific VIB research groups in close consultation with the colleagues of the Innovation & Business team

You will do this by:

• Pro-actively harvesting of inventions developed within the institute, for generating intellectual property rights searching and assessing the patentability of inventions and providing stimulating feedback to the scientists
• Drafting and worldwide prosecution of patent applications
• Establishing trustful communication lines with the research groups you are responsible for
• Defining translational research projects to strengthen the IP portfolio
• Interacting closely with the business development team, the new ventures team and discovery sciences team towards the identification of commercial opportunities and new start-up projects
• Providing support to the teams of Innovation & Business with respect to freedom to operate or patent landscaping analyses
• Providing Intellectual Property training for VIB scientists and advice on all IP related matters

Your Profile

We are looking for a pro-active and enthusiastic professional, with a strong scientific background in biomedical or agricultural life science research.

• You are a Ph.D. in life sciences, and you have experience in biomedical and/or agricultural life sciences research projects an affinity with software or artificial intelligence is a plus industry experience is also an asset
• You possess excellent interpersonal skills together with the ability to relate easily to others at all levels
• You have an analytical mind, capable of analyzing a broad spectrum of life science topics and with the ability to deep-dive into a scientific content in a short timeframe
• You possess excellent verbal and written communication skills (English)
• You have a high multi-tasking capacity, and you are capable of respecting deadlines
• You are dedicated to proactively translate basic science into patent applications and defend VIB s inventions towards granted patents
• You are a team player

We offer

• A professional and stimulating work environment where colleagues take full ownership of projects and guide them to success in a creative way
• An opportunity to start an intellectual property career without prior experience
• An extensive network of (inter)national contacts
• Various opportunities to broaden your expertise and develop a career in intellectual property
• A compensation package based on expertise and experience

How to apply?

Motivated candidates are asked to apply online. Please send your CV, motivation letter and at least one reference.

Deadline for application: 30 October 2022.