In September 2017 the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) began phasing in new resources for further and higher education. The Future Innovators Toolkit (FIT), IP Tutor Plus and IP for Research were updated and completed on the 9th January 2018.

The Future Innovators Toolkit (FIT) provides Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) teachers with the resources they need to introduce IP at any point in the curriculum.

FIT consists of lesson plans, case studies, research scenarios and power point slides which focusses on developing enterprise and employability skills. These resources raise understanding of managing and exploiting IP and prepare STEM students for Higher Education or their careers.

IP Tutor Plus supports university lecturers by explaining what IP is and how it fits into their students’ future careers. Working alongside patent and trade mark attorneys, lecturers and industry professionals it includes slides, lecture notes, FAQs, case studies and wider talking points.

IP Tutor Plus compliments the existing IP Tutor resource. Where IP Tutor provides the information on how each intellectual property right works, IP Tutor Plus helps lecturers engage their students on the relevance and use of IP. Just like IP Tutor, IP Tutor Plus includes 4 modules, covering Creative, Humanities and STEM and Law, Business & Accounting areas.

The IPO created IP for Research for PhD students and researchers to understand the importance of IP in maximising the impact of their research. The IP for Research programme includes 6 quick guides on the commercialisation process, face-to-face workshops and an IP skills lens. The IP Lens will follow early 2018.

With IP Tutor, Intellectual Asset Management Guide for Universities and Lambert Toolkit already supporting students, management and collaborations between universities and businesses. These new tools complete the comprehensive support for students, lecturers and researchers.

Future Innovators Toolkit, IP Tutor Plus and IP for Research are all available on the cracking ideas portal.