2024 Annual Report of the VPI is available
20 May 2025
We are pleased to announce that the 2024 Annual Report of the Visegrad Patent Institute (VPI) has been published. This publication presents the institutional activities of the VPI in 2024 as well as data and trends of PCT applications choosing the VPI for 2020-2024.
The report is available for download from the Knowledge Hub page under the Annual Reports section.
MoU signed between the Austrian Patent Office and the VPI in Vienna
15 May, 2025
The Visegrad Patent Institute (VPI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Austrian Patent Office (APO) on 15 May 2025.
Signed by Mr Stefan Harasek, President of the APO, and Ms Johanna Stadler, Director of the VPI, the document establishes a framework for cooperation between the two organisations to promote economic and technological exchange and raise awareness of peaceful technical cooperation in Central Europe.
This MoU with the APO is of particular importance to the VPI, as the APO’s work and customer-friendly operations have served as a model for the Institute. The MoU builds on the strong existing relationship between the two organisations and opens new possibilities for the VPI to expand its cooperation network in Central Europe.
We look forward to cooperating much more closely with our Austrian colleagues in future.
10th anniversary of signing the Agreement on the VPI
26 February 2025
Today marks the 10th anniversary of the day when four countries in the Central and Eastern European region – the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia – sealed the decision to pool the resources of their IP offices, and their representatives signed the Agreement on the Visegrad Patent Institute. This landmark event was the result of a series of successful negotiations that enabled us to embark on a truly exciting journey.
On the basis of the agreement signed on 26 February 2015, and following the decision of the WIPO PCT Assembly, the VPI commenced operations on 1 July 2016 to foster innovation and creativity and to promote economic growth and competitiveness in the Central and Eastern European region. In the following years, Memoranda of Understanding were signed with Lithuania, Serbia and Slovenia, whose residents can also benefit from the services of the VPI.
In the decade following the signing of the Agreement, the VPI has worked to become the “PCT authority next door” in the region, providing its applicants with world-class services and the opportunity to manage their PCT application in their native language, thereby increasing the chances of successful patent applications worldwide.
We would like to thank all those who have contributed to the birth of the Visegrad Patent Institute. We are grateful to all the outstanding leaders of the VPI Branch Offices and other international partner organisations, past and present, who supported the establishment of our regional PCT authority and those who have worked to support its day-to-day operations since then. However, most importantly, we are grateful to all those innovative and creative minds who have entrusted the fate of their inventions to the knowledge and expertise of our colleagues.
We will continue our work to develop our services to best meet the requirements and needs of our applicants, in line with the preamble to the Agreement on the VPI, to offer Central and Eastern European users of the patent system a favourable and efficient option for obtaining patent protection internationally and, to that end, to facilitate their access to the PCT system.
Join us in celebrating this significant day and follow our Linked-in page to learn first-hand about our new developments and services.
Quick guide to financial incentives in the V4 countries available
20 December 2024
A Quick guide to financial incentives in the V4 countries was prepared and is available for download from the VPI Knowledge Hub page. The guide is based on the report on the “Financial incentives as a tool for improving the V4 innovation ecosystem and enhancing IP protection” prepared by a consortium of V4 universities, the Charles University, Faculty of Law from the Czech Republic, the University of Debrecen from Hungary and the Organisation for Research and Development Activities from Slovakia, led and coordinated by the Jagiellonian University (Krakow) from Poland in 2023.
The original mapping report was funded by the International Visegrad Fund (IVF), whose mission is to promote ideas for sustainable regional cooperation in Central Europe. The IVF is co-funded by the governments of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia.
The report notes that the work of the Visegrad Patent Institute (VPI) supports the development of innovation and competitiveness in the region. In addition, the report suggests a coordinated regional effort to create funding schemes for local SMEs, universities and research institutes.
The report suggests complementing the work of the IVF with a regional patent-focused funding scheme that can support the services offered by the VPI. A possible scheme to support the use of existing or new services offered by the VPI to applicants from V4 could include (i) a “VPI voucher” and (ii) a non-refundable grant reserved for patenting in IVF-funded projects. The report suggests that IVF be appointed as the relevant founding body.
The goal of the quick guide is to provide a briefer summary of the most important information provided by the report. The VPI will continue to actively reflect on these ideas and proposals during 2025, at the service of the actors of the innovation ecosystem in the V4 region.
New case studies are available
17 December 2024
Following the practice of sharing knowledge and best practices of various companies related to PCT filing and patenting strategy, the VPI prepared two new case studies. This time the focus was on the experience of start-up companies.
The first case study introduces Sygnis SA, an innovative Polish start-up company whose profile is modern hardware deeptech solutions in the area of photonics and materials engineering. Sygnis gave honest insights into their experience and challenges with finding the right support in their international patenting journey as well as about using patent applications as assets to attract investors.
In the second case study, Saule SA, an innovative high-tech Polish start-up company that develops next-generation perovskite based photovoltaic devices, generously shared their best practices and insights about the benefits they get from choosing the PCT route. Saule SA’s experience is particularly valuable as its innovative solutions have been awarded the European Inventor Award 2024.
The case studies were written in cooperation with the Innovations Hub Foundation, a Polish startup hub that specializes in professionalizing business incubation and transforming the pre-seed market across Central and Eastern Europe (CEE).
To read the new case studies or browse through our previous publications, visit the Knowledge Hub of the VPI website.
“PCT for V4” events in 2024
5 July 2024
To raise awareness of the potentials in taking the route of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) while entering international markets, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) initiated the “PCT for V4” project focussing on innovators from universities, startups and SMEs, and encompassing rowing seminars and other events in the V4 region.
The Visegrad Patent Institute believes that it is of core importance for the players of our innovative ecosystems to be aware of the opportunities and the benefits that the PCT system offers for patent applicants. Therefore, we are grateful for WIPO for the “PCT for V4” initiative and also for the opportunity to be an active contributor in this project.
The first location of the series of events under the “PCT for V4” project was the Czech Republic where the WIPO held a PCT seminar for Innovators from Universities, Startups and SMEs from Prague in cooperation with the Industrial Property Office of the Czech Republic (IPO CZ) and the Visegrad Patent Institute. The Visegrad Patent Institute thanks for IPO CZ for hosting this first event on 10 June 2024 in Prague, in a hybrid format, where Ms Johanna Stadler, director of the VPI had the pleasure to present the benefits of the PCT and Global Patent Search Services of the Institute, the PCT Authority of the V4 region.
In the frame of the “PCT for V4” project, WIPO also had discussions in the Central Bohemian Innovation Centre, and was also present at the Invent Arena Exhibition in Třinec, among numerous innovators from the region on 12-13 June.
Further exiting events will be held in the V4 countries in the autumn of 2024. The exact agenda and program will be revealed over the coming months and will be posted both on the VPI website and the VPI Linked-in page. Visit our website regularly or follow us on Linked-in to stay tuned.
The Visegrad Patent Institute is the fastest ISA worldwide
3 July 2024
In 2023, the Visegrad Patent Institute was the fastest International Searching Authority worldwide regarding timeliness in establishing and transmitting international search reports to the International Bureau measured both from the priority date (9 months lead time) and from the date of receipt of search copy (3 months lead time) according to the 2024 PCT yearly review published by the World Intellectual Property Organization.
The VPI has been making ongoing efforts to cut the processing time in respect of establishing the international search report in the service of its customers. Shorter internal lead times were introduced as from 1 January 2023 and the statistics of WIPO confirm the results of the VPI’s user-friendly initiatives. The strict ISO quality standards of the VPI ensure that the services are not only delivered with speed but with outstanding quality as well.
The VPI is honoured to be the fastest ISA worldwide for the second consecutive year, and grateful for the work of its colleagues at the Branch Offices for their efforts in keeping the voluntary internal deadlines and for doing a great job serving customers of the Visegrad Patent Institute.
2023 Annual Report of the VPI is available
29 May 2024
The Annual Report of the VPI for 2023 has been published. This publication presents the institutional activities of the VPI in 2023 as well as data and trends of PCT applications of the Visegrad countries at the VPI for 2019-2023.
The report is available for download from the Knowledge Hub page under the Annual Reports section.
New “Fees and Refunds” page available
1 February 2024
A new “Fees and Refunds” page with an online search fee refund request form and all information on fees and refunds in one place was launched on the website of the Visegrad Patent Institute (VPI) on 1 February 2024 based on customer feedback.
As a part of our ongoing efforts to better understand the expectations of our users and to initiate adequate user-friendly initiatives based on their needs, the Secretariat of the VPI carried out a customer survey in 2023. In this survey, patent attorneys actively using the VPI were asked to provide feedback on the quality, speed and overall satisfaction with the VPI’s services. The professional representatives were also invited to share ideas on new services they could find beneficial.
According to the responses, the most attractive features of the services offered by the VPI were speed and cost effectiveness as well as user-friendly administration and the possibility to use national language during the international phase of the PCT procedure.
In their responses, the users of the VPI suggested further simplified means to file search fee refund requests. For this reason, the VPI created a new “Fees and Refunds” page with an online form for eligible applicants to file search fee refund request. The form will help to further speed up the process of 40% or 50% refund of international search fee, as the case may be, when the VPI benefits from an earlier search report during the international search.
The online search fee refund request form is another electronic way to file the request beside the already available possibilities, such as in email or through the ePCT electronic system. The new “Fees and Refunds” page is already available on the VPI’s website.
Global Patent Search Services with up to 75% support
22 January 2024
The Visegrad Patent Institute launched the Global Patent Search Services (GPSS) in October 2023 to provide prior art information based on the PCT to anyone worldwide who seek to assess the patentability of their invention. The primary goal of launching the services was to make prior art information available with a remarkable speed at a reasonably priced flat rate fee prior to patent application.
With the launch of the SME Fund 2024 edition, EU-based SMEs can take advantage of these services at a 75% lower cost in 2024.
The EUIPO Ideas Powered for business SME Fund is a grant scheme designed to help EU-based small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) protect their intellectual property (IP) rights. Amongst other, the SME Fund grant reimburses costs of prior art searches, patent application or even patent attorney services. Detailed description of the program is available on the SME Fund 2024 initiative webpage of the EUIPO.
As prior art search reports are part of the supported activities by the SME Fund under the Patents Voucher (Voucher 3), up to 75% of the fee of the VPI’s Novelty Search and Novelty Search with Preliminary Patentability Report services can also be reimbursed.
In practice this means that eligible applicants can gain invaluable prior art information about their inventions for even as little as 200 EUR within less than a month with the help of the VPI. The simple administration and the quick process of reimbursements make the SME
Fund initiative an outstanding tool for SMEs to reinforce their operation on new or existing markets with the help of IP protection.
For more information on the services of the VPI, please visit our services page.
More about the VPI services >>
International-type Search service available from 1 January 2024
1 January 2024
The Visegrad Patent Institute launched a new service extending the available PCT services on 1 January 2024. The new International-type Search service is available for all applicants filing Hungarian, Polish and Slovak national patent applications at the respective National IP Offices.
The new International-type Search service provides information on the most relevant prior art documents related to the claimed subject matter in the respective application in accordance with the PCT.
The service can be requested during the national patent process and provides answers in as little as three months. This invaluable early information may help applicants to decide on filing a PCT application or further refining the content of the application to ultimately increase the chances of a successful PCT application.
For detailed information about the International-type Search, please, refer to the service page at:
No change in the opening hours of the VPI in December
20 December, 2023
We would like to inform our applicants and interested parties that the Visegrad Patent Institute remains at your service during the last days of December with the same opening hours as throughout the year.
The Visegrad Patent Institute wishes all applicants and colleagues happy holidays, a well-deserved quality time off with friends and family, and a successful New Year for 2024.
Memorandum of Understanding signed with the Slovenian Intellectual Property Office
30 November, 2023
The Visegrad Patent Institute (VPI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Slovenian Intellectual Property Office (SIPO) on 30 November 2023.
The document signed by Ms Karin Žvokelj, Director of SIPO and Ms Johanna Stadler, Director of the VPI creates a framework of cooperation between the two organizations in order to support the national and international patenting activities of the Slovenian applicants by the new commercial patent search services of the VPI, the Global Patent Search Services.
Furthermore, the MoU between the SIPO and the VPI opens the cooperation of the two organizations in the field of raising awareness on patenting under the international patent system and on the commercial patent search services of the VPI.
Global Patent Search Services launched on 1 October 2023
27 September, 2023
The Visegrad Patent Institute conducted a user survey in 2023. The survey results clearly showed that the most important issue for our applicants is gaining reliable patentability information within the shortest time possible. In order to better serve our applicants, the VPI broadened its service portfolio to help innovative SMEs, higher education institutions, research organizations and individual inventors to gain valuable information about the novelty and patentability of their technical inventions or solutions in a remarkably short time.
Two new services, Novelty Search Service and Novelty Search with Preliminary Patentability Report, are launched under the umbrella name Global Patent Search Services to give expert answers to the questions of novelty and patentability of the invention or technical solution within only 4 weeks. The searches are carried out by patent examiners experienced in PCT procedures by using the same databases as during the PCT authority work.
The insight, that the new Novelty Search Service and Novelty Search with Preliminary Patentability Report provide, can be a game changer for innovative organizations and help increase the success rate of their further steps to protect and/or commercialize their inventions.
Contrary to the PCT services provided by the VPI, these new services are available to a world-wide clientele regardless of nationality or country of origin.
Further details about the services, terms and conditions and the order form are available at the following pages:
More information on Novelty Search Service >>
More information on Novelty Search with Preliminary Patentability Report >>
2022 Annual Report of the VPI is available
28 August, 2023
The Annual Report of the VPI for 2022 has been published. This publication presents the institutional activities of the VPI in 2022 as well as data and trends of PCT applications of the Visegrad countries at the VPI for 2018-2022.
The report is available for download from the Knowledge Hub page under the Annual Reports section.
New search services in the VPI service portfolio
15 June, 2023
The primary mission of the Visegrad Patent Institute (VPI) is to help “local” innovative businesses, universities, research institutions and individual inventors to obtain patent protection abroad and to enter the international market safely.
At its 18th meeting, the Administrative Board of the VPI decided on the start of new search services by the VPI in order to support the patenting efforts of applicants and prospective applicants by providing them with information on the novelty and patentability prospects of their invention at the earliest stage possible without the financial commitment of a patent application.
The VPI will start the performance of two types of commercial search services: novelty search and novelty search with preliminary patentability report as from 1 October 2023.
As contrary of the PCT services of the VPI, the new search services will be available not only to applicants and prospective applicants from Contracting States of the VPI and neighbouring countries, but anyone who wishes to obtain more information on their invention from a patenting perspective at an early stage regardless of their country of origin.
More information on the details of the new commercial services will be published on the VPI website. Please, follow the Linked-in page of the VPI to stay up-to-date.
WIPO search strategy survey launched
11 May, 2023
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) launched a comprehensive exercise to assess the usefulness of search strategies prepared by PCT Authorities during international search. WIPO has launched two distinct surveys, one for users and one for PCT Authorities worldwide. The information and other considerations gained via the surveys in respect of the search strategy will be assessed in order to further develop the current form of search strategy, if necessary.
The Visegrad Patent Institute hereby invites its users to actively participate in the user survey of WIPO. The survey results will be compiled and shared with the PCT Authorities in an anonymous manner to provide insight into the considerations of users in respect of search strategies.
The survey is open until 16th June, 2023. Please, help our work with your replies.
Further shortened ISR lead time introduced as from 1 January 2023
23 January, 2023
The Visegrad Patent Institute constantly works on user-friendly initiatives to become the “PCT authority next door” for applicants filing under the PCT in the Visegrad countries, Serbia and Lithuania.
The Visegrad Patent Institute serves its applicants by ensuring their early access to international search reports that help better evaluate their patenting chances on the territories of the relevant markets.
The first step was to reduce the 3- or 9-month ISR lead times set by the PCT by 1 week as from 1 June 2021. Due to this initiative and according to WIPO’s data, the Visegrad Patent Institute became the fastest PCT authority in issuing international search reports and written opinions worldwide in 2021.
The experience gained with the expedited international search reports made it possible to further reduce the ISR lead times in 2023, without making any compromise in respect of the quality of international search reports.
The ISR lead times in cases where no priority is claimed for international applications filed as from 1 January 2023 were cut to 8 months. In all other cases, the Visegrad Patent Institute maintains the previous practice with 1-week shorter lead time.
The new initiative of the Visegrad Patent Institute may further help its applicants in their efforts to gain a more favourable position on the markets they intend to enter.
No change in the opening hours of the VPI in December
15 December, 2022
We would like to inform our applicants and interested parties that the Visegrad Patent Institute remains at your service during the last days of December with the same opening hours as throughout the year.
The Visegrad Patent Institute wishes all applicants and colleagues happy holidays, a well-deserved quality time off with friends and family, and a successful New Year for 2023.
Presentations and feedback survey on V4 TTO event are available
24 November, 2022
The VPI held a roundtable discussion under the title “V4 TTO Best practices in international patenting” on 22 November. The presentations have been made available.
In order to serve our applicants and the participants of our future events better, we set up a short survey with 5 questions to learn about their experience with our events, website and services. We cordially invite all participants of the event and all users of our website to fill in the survey and share their experience.
The survey is open until 22 December. We are looking forward to learning your opinion, thank you in advance.
TTO round table discussion on 22 November, 2022
28 October, 2022
The Visegrad Patent Institute, in cooperation with the International Visegrad Fund and the ASTP, the premier association of knowledge transfer professionals in Europe, is organizing an online round table event on 22 November 2022.
The event will feature a keynote speech from ASTP addressing the most important recent developments of knowledge transfer in Europe. The round table discussion will be held with TTO experts from the V4 countries discussing the challenges of international patenting in knowledge transfer and other topical issues. The event will be held online and open to any interested participants.
Save the date in your calendar to join us and follow our Linked-in page for further details.
New SME case studies published
30 August, 2022
A series of case studies are being published on patenting best practices through the PCT route to support the planning of PCT applications. Amongst others, the case studies deal with the issues of building an IP oriented company culture, strategic decisions around patenting as well as the technology transfer process.
These case studies are the first of a series of publications that the VPI prepares to provide further information and share best practices that can help the preparatory work and the filing of PCT applications in the Visegrad region. The first publications will be followed by further case studies in the future. Visit the Knowledge Hub page and follow us on Linked-in to be informed about the upcoming releases.
2021 Annual Report of the VPI is available
26 August, 2022
The Annual Report of the VPI for 2021 has been published. This publication presents the institutional activities of the VPI in 2021 as well as data and trends of PCT applications of the Visegrad countries at the VPI in the previous 5 years.
This is the first annual report of the VPI which will be issued on a regular basis from now on. The report is available for download from the Knowledge Hub page.
VPI became observer on the AC of the EPO
29 June, 2022
We proudly announce another significant milestone in the life of our Institute. As of 29th June 2022, the Visegrad Patent Institute became observer on the Administrative Council (AC) of the European Patent Organisation by a unanimous decision of the Administrative Council. This positive decision opened up a new era of cooperation for the VPI at European level.
MoU signed between the International Visegrad Fund and the Visegrad Patent Institute
23 February, 2022
Petr Mareš, Executive Director of the International Visegrad Fund (IVF) and Johanna Stadler, Director of the Visegrad Patent Institute (VPI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the headquarters of the VPI on the 23rd February.
Through the MoU, the two institutions intend to intensify their joint efforts to raise awareness on patenting and in particular on the international patent system. IVF and VPI plan to organise expert exchanges and consultations, and to launch various new incentives and grants, especially for inventors and SMEs in the region.
The VPI is strongly committed to supporting closer cooperation between citizens and innovative enterprises, research institutes and universities of the Visegrad Countries to facilitate joint creation and exploitation of inventions. The MoU with the IVF is an invaluable tool to support these efforts.
Seat Agreement signed between Hungary and the Visegrad Patent Institute
4 February, 2022
The VPI is pleased to announce that the draft Seat Agreement between Hungary and the VPI has been signed by Mr Tibor Gulyás, Deputy State Secretary of the Ministry of Innovation and Technology on behalf of the Hungarian Government and by Ms Johanna Stadler, Director on behalf of the VPI. The Seat Agreement will enter into force upon approval by the Hungarian Parliament and will regulate important elements of everyday operation of the VPI in Hungary.
On behalf of the Visegrad Patent Institute, we would like to express our gratitude for this outstanding gesture of support from our host country, Hungary.
Announcement of the new bank account number of the Visegrad Patent Institute
17 January, 2022
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
The bank account number of the Visegrad Patent Institute changed as of 17th of January, 2022. All payments are to be made to the following bank account number in the future:
Account holder’s name: Visegrad Patent Institute
Bank: Raiffeisen Bank Zrt., 1133 Budapest, Váci út 116-118.
IBAN: HU66-12012204-01799099-00200000
SWIFT Code: UBRTHUHB
Please, update your records and make sure that your future payment details are correct.
Video recording of the celebratory 5th Anniversary Conference of the Visegrad Patent Institute available
1 August, 2021
On the occasion of the 5th anniversary of its operation, and to raise the awareness on the PCT of the players of the innovation ecosystem in our region, the VPI organised an online conference with the support of the Ministry for Innovation and Technology and the National Research, Development and Innovation Office of Hungary.
The mission of the Visegrad Patent Institute (VPI) is to help innovative businesses, universities, research institutions and individual inventors in the CEE region to obtain patent protection abroad and to enter the international market safely. For this reason, the video recording of the presentations delivered ont he conference are made available on the Youtube channel of the VPI.
Invitation to the online conference of the Visegrad Patent Institute to celebrate the 5th anniversary of the start of its operations on July 7th, 2021
6 June, 2021
The invited speakers come from a broad array of the economy and academy to deliver case studies and have round table discussions about PCT matters. The participants of the online event can gain invaluable insight into the international patent application process through the PCT system and receive useful practical tips about successful patenting strategies.
Excuse of delays due to COVID-19 pandemic
23 April, 2020
The Visegrad Patent Institute (VPI) adopts the interpretation of current situation relating to the COVID-19 pandemic taken by the International Bureau of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO).
In line with the recommendations made by the WIPO, the VPI considers the pandemic to be a „natural calamity” and therefore will treat requests under PCT Rule 82quater.1 to excuse delays in meeting time limits favourably. Applicants are not required to submit further evidence of disruption caused by the pandemic in their Rule 82quater.1 requests.
MoU signed between the Intellectual Property Office of Serbia and the Visegrad Patent Institute
2 July, 2020
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Intellectual Property Office of the Republic of Serbia (IPOSR) and the Visegrad Patent Institute (VPI), furthermore, the International Bureau of the World Intellectual Property Organization was duly notified thereon in July 2020.
In the MoU, IPOSR declares that the VPI is a competent International Searching Authority (ISA) and International Preliminary Examining Authority (IPEA) for international applications filed under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) by Serbian nationals and residents (Serbian Users).
The appointment to act as ISA and IPEA for Serbian Users is a great honour for the VPI. The signatories to the MoU expect that this new possibility offered for Serbian Users can contribute to the development of the knowledge- and innovation-intensive industries in Serbia, and could have a positive effect on involving research institutions and universities into the innovation ecosystem of the region. Additionally, the MoU opens up a new area of cooperation that can further strengthen the already existing network and good relationships between the industrial and intellectual property offices of our region.
The MoU enters into force on 1 September 2020. As from that date, Serbian Users can choose for their international applications under the PCT the VPI as ISA and IPEA.
We look forward to receiving international patent applications from our Serbian Users.
SERVICES
The Visegrad Patent Institute, in its capacity as an International Searching Authority and International Preliminary Examining Authority under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) carries out the following services in accordance with the PCT:
International Search (IS) >>
International Preliminary Examination (IPE) >>
Supplementary International Searches (SIS) >>
ABOUT THE PCT
The PCT is an international treaty that makes it possible to seek patent protection simultaneously in a large number of countries by filing a single application. Granting the patent remains under the national or regional legislation.
Fees and Refunds
Download the Search Fee Refund Form from this page and find detailed instructions on how to submit it for quick payment. Read about our quality assurance and the legal framework of the operation of the VPI in our official documents.
Knowledge hub
The Knowledge hub of the Visegrad Patent Institute was created to share research, statistics, industrial best practice and benchmark information about international patenting in the Visegrad countries through publications and events.