§ Mr. IngramTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what measures his Department has put in place to ensure that business links advisers can provide support for the freelance inventors; and if he will make a statement. [5696]
§ Mr. Page[holding answer 25 November 1996]All business links are expected to provide practical advice to their local business community on issues relating to invention and innovation. Most business links would expect to do so through the services either of their innovation and technology counsellor or their design counsellor.
The nature of the advice will vary from business link to business link, and according to the specific needs of the inventor. A number of business links hold regular surgeries or clinics which the freelance inventor could attend. In some cases, the local business link partners may have decided to delegate the responsibility for assisting freelance inventors to one of the partners, for example the Local Enterprise Agency. In other cases, the business link will have access to other local agencies—such as a business innovation centre—or to national organisations such at the Patent Office or the Institute of Patentees and Inventors.
Further practical help is available in that innovation and technology counsellors and design counsellors can issue innovation credits to provide a modest subsidy to assist their clients in seeking help on technology related issues. Over 260 innovation credits have been used for patent searches and intellectual property rights services.