Educational session #4:
UK Market Access - how to land, expand and raise capital in the U.K.
February 2, 2026
EIC innovators are invited to join the EIC ACCESS+ Educational Session on the topic “Protect, Valorise, Fund: Leveraging intangible assets as strategic growth factors”, taking place online on 26 February 2026 from 10:00 CET. This session, in collaboration with the EIC Ecosystem Partnership Programme, will offer you expert insights into the best practices for transforming breakthrough science into investable businesses.
Event details
Date: 26 February 2026, Thursday
Speakers
Why join?
In the fast-evolving landscape of deep-tech innovation, the strategic use of intellectual property (IP) is the cornerstone of successful fundraising, partnership building, and long-term market positioning. This educational session is designed to help EIC Beneficiaries understand and address the challenges and pitfalls at the crossroads of IP protection, technology transfer, and investment readiness.
The participants will understand how to protect and valorise their IP assets, leveraging them as instruments of value creation, negotiation, and access to funding. Through concrete examples and expert insights, the session will explore how founders can structure collaborative R&D engagements without compromising future commercial potential, how to prepare for IP-based due diligence when approaching investors, and how to translate patent strategies into credible business development pathways.
Whether you are preparing to engage with a university TTO, co-develop technologies with industrial partners, or seeking to close an investment round, this session aims to offer a practical toolkit to ensure your IP supports your journey from lab to market. By attending, participants will clarify priorities, get actionable advice for experienced EIC Ecosystem Partners offering their services, and a stronger sense of how to turn intellectual property into an enabler of growth.
Discover :
- Define a Patent(ing) Strategy – make informed, strategic patent decisions at an early stage to support long-term business objectives:
- Understand the fundamentals of patent protection and how different patent types relate to territories and markets
- Decide when and where to file patents based on strategic, technical, and commercial criteria
- Align patent decisions with your technology roadmap, funding plans, and go‑to‑market strategy
- Recognize early warning signs of over‑ or under‑protection and how to mitigate them
- Prepare to engage efficiently with patent professionals by clarifying objectives and expectations
- Prepare for Technology transfer, Intellectual Property valuation and fundraising using IP rights – use your intellectual property as a strategic asset to enable technology transfer and attract funding.
- Understand how different IP rights (patents, know‑how, data, designs) support technology transfer and collaboration models
- Assess the value and readiness of your technology for transfer using TRL, competitive positioning, and market potential
- Apply the main IP valuation approaches (cost‑based, market‑based, income‑based) according to your strategic objectives
- Leverage IP assets to strengthen fundraising discussions and meet investor due‑diligence expectations
- Navigate key commercialization pathways, including licensing, spin‑offs, and co‑development agreements
- Progress from collaboration to investment: define a protection strategy of intangible assets in the early stage – identify, protect, and strategically manage your intangible assets to de-risk collaboration and prepare for investment.
- Identify the full spectrum of intangible assets embedded in your research or early‑stage project
- Build a foundational IP and intangible‑asset strategy adapted to low‑TRL and early collaboration contexts
- Manage ownership, confidentiality, and access rights in collaborative or academic R&D environments
- Avoid common early‑stage IP and governance pitfalls that can hinder future investment
- Understand how intangible assets influence investor perception, risk assessment, and valuation
About the Educational Sessions
The EIC ACCESS+ educational sessions are part of a broader effort to offer a practical and value-driven format to help EIC Awardees and Seal of Excellence holders navigate their most common challenges. Each session is led by experienced EIC Ecosystem Partners who share use cases, expert guidance, and actionable tools drawn from their service offerings. The aim is to help beneficiaries better understand the specialised support available within the EIC Service Catalogue, make informed decisions based on their needs and maturity level, and build meaningful connections supported by the EIC ACCESS+ initiative.
If you are interested in learning more about EIC ACCESS+ initiatives, we invite you to join our matchmaking and info sessions or watch the recordings of the previous educational sessions: