Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, hosted the 2nd edition of IP Talks focused on prior art search in patents, on November 27th, at Alameda campus. The event brought together researchers, faculty and students from Técnico.
The session was presented by Susana Rodrigues, Patent Consultant at Inventa International, who presented methods and tools used in patent prior art search, highlighting the importance of identifying pre-existing technologies and understanding inventive-step criteria.
Throughout the presentation, essential concepts were introduced, such as how patent databases work, the international classification systems used to organize technical documents and how to build effective search strategies – a necessary step in decision-making on patent protection and disclosure.
The IP Talks are informal moments of learning and discussion on key topics related to Intellectual Property, promoted by the Intellectual Property Office at Técnico. In each edition, participants have the opportunity to clarify doubts, discuss real cases and understand how to apply this knowledge in academic and scientific contexts.
The IP Talks will continue throughout the academic year, with the next session scheduled for February 26th, 2026, bringing new topics and experts to promote Intellectual Property literacy and support the academic community in strategically managing its creations.
