EPO Patent examiners
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01 The EPO at a glance, who are we?
02 What do patent examiners do?
03 Career path for a patent examiner
04 Why work as patent examiner at the EPO?
05 Insights and benefits of working at the EPO
06 What are our values?
07 Culture and diversity at the EPO?
08 What are the requirements for applying at the EPO?
09 How does the recruitment process work?
10 What is the typical day of a patent examiner?
11 What are the different possible career paths?
12 Evolution of patent examination within last 20 years and AI impact
13 Do I need to have legal knowledge to become a patent examiner?
14 What are the language requirements?
15 Is relocation required?
16 How will the EPO facilitate my integration during the first weeks?
17 What role do examiners with a multi-disciplinary background have?
18 How are individual targets established, and how is performance measured?
19 Are the interviews online or on site?
20 What is the most important skill to have as a patent examiner?
21 What is the most fun aspect of your job?
22 Can you give some additional tips about the application process?
23 What do you like about working for the EPO?
Work as a patent examiner at the European Patent Office
As a patent examiner you will play a crucial role in helping inventors and innovative businesses to protect their innovations in the contracting states to the European Patent Convention (EPC) – and around the world.
The process involves searching for existing documentation in the technical area of the application (prior art) and communicating with the applicant in order to bring their application into line with the legal requirements of the EPC.
When you examine patent applications to determine whether or not the inventions claimed should be granted a patent, you are deciding on applicants’ potentially most valuable asset: the patentability of their invention.
The job of a European patent examiner demands a unique combination of scientific expertise, analytical thinking, language skills and an interest in intellectual property law. You should also have a genuine interest in technology, an eye for detail and an analytical mind. Work experience in industry is not essential, but would be an advantage. Applicants must be willing to relocate to Munich, The Hague or Berlin, the EPO sites at which patents are examined.
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Meet the speakers
Our 6 300 employees from 35 countries prove that the best results are achieved together.
As the patent office for Europe, we are proud to deliver high-quality, efficient services that promote a safer, smarter and more sustainable world. A world in which we are committed to helping achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the highest environmental, social and governance standards. Moreover, as an equal opportunities employer, the EPO is shaped by the diversity of our people’s personalities, knowledge and cultures.
The European Patent Office (EPO) is one of the largest public service institutions in Europe. Its headquarters are in Munich, and it also has offices in Berlin, Brussels, The Hague and Vienna. The EPO was founded with the aim of strengthening co-operation on patents in Europe. Through its centralised patent granting procedure, inventors are able to obtain high-quality patent protection in up to 44 countries.
Our work environment
We believe that diversity is fundamental to our success. Our inclusive work environment respects, values and celebrates our individual differences. We want you to be yourself at work.
Minimum requirements:
- Citizenship of one of the member states of the European Patent Organisation.
- Diploma of completed university studies at Master’s level in physics, chemistry, engineering or natural sciences. The degree should be relevant to the technical field in which you would like to work.
- Excellent knowledge (at least C1) of one official language (English, French or German) and the ability to understand the other two; alternatively, excellent knowledge (at least C1) of English (in such cases, the willingness to learn the missing languages and to reach level B2 within a set time frame would be required).
