Biography

Subject Expertise:

Intellectual Property, Commercialisation and Innovation. 

Supporting fellow academics and technology transfer personnel identify, protect and monetise the IP emnating from university research portfolios. 

Biography 

A reputation for Innovation in the IP and Commercialisation space.

Since starting work as an academic, I have secured funding (£30,000) from the UK Intellectual Property Office to establish one of the UK’s first IPO funded IP clinics for student and graduate entrepreneurs:

IPASS (Intellectual Property Advice Support Service)

This clinic provided IP and commercialisation advice to the University of Portsmouth’s student and graduate entrepreneurs via its IP law students. 

I have also helped secure an additional £75,000 from the UK IPO to enable the University of Portsmouth to partner with the universities of Bournemouth and Southampton in order to create a knowledge exchange campus with the purpose of supporting regional SMEs identify, protect and commercialise their IP. 

In addtion I have worked with Patsnap as an academic in residence . In this I role I supported this unicorn company develop its "Innovation Academy," an online platform delivering executive education style content focussing on IP and commercialisation to its clients and the broader research and innovation community both in the UK and Europe. 

A reputation for generating Research and Innovation Income.

I have used my knowledge of IP and commercialisation to support the University of Portsmouth secure signficant income from prestigious and internationally recognised funding bodies such as Research England, Innovate UK and the UK Intellectual Property Office.  

This has included grants for several knowledge transfer partnerships (Innovate UK), consortium funding to develop a shared technology transfer office with regional universities (Research England) as well as a Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF) award to develop a proof of concept patent analytics platform to support the University commercialise its research and innovation outputs. 

A reputation for International Collaboration.

Future of Law, Innovation and Technology Research and Innovation Centre (FLITe)

As the Founder and Director of FLITe, I have brought together diverse but yet an interconnected body of researchers from different faculties across the University of Portsmouth, as well as from other research intensive universities both in the UK and Europe to help organisations and broader society better understand the relationship between law, innovation and technology, and to discover how best to use this understanding for commercial benefit and societal impact.

Visiting Professorships in Europe

I have a strong relationship with leading IP and commercialisation academics and practitioners across Europe. This is reflected in my external appointments.   I am a visiting professor in intellectual property law at two of Europe’s leading universities, Bocconi University and Paris Nanterre University 

Working with International NGOs in the IP and Commercialisation sector

I am the Head Tutor for the European Patent Office (EPO) in relation to its flagship IP and Commercialisation programme aimed at PhD and Masters students across Europe, the Modular IP Education Framework (MIPEF). 

I have also led the University of Portsmouth's successful efforts  in signing a memorandum of understanding with the EPO and the EUIPO (European Union Intellectual Property Office) as a means of raisng the profile of IP education across the University's faculties, staff and student populations. 

I am also a regular contributor and member of one of Europe’s leading IP academic networks; the European Intellectual Property Teachers Network (EIPTN).

Working with Governments

I am currently (time of writing January 2025) an expert advisory panel member for the UK Government Department for Education and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (along with the Government’s Open Innovation Team). My role is to offer IP and commercialisation advice and guidance on its £4 million proposal to develop an education content store aimed at AI companies specialising in education.

A reputation for IP and Commercialisation Mentoring. 

I have provided mentoring to start-ups through a number of prestigious organisations including Natwest Bank via its Accelerator Programme, Brit Asia TV through its "Pitch It" Competiton and the Telegraph Media Group when it ran its Annual Telegraph STEM Awards. 

Media Availability 

I am happy to take calls and emails from the media on my research and innovation interests, and am aware of the need to respond to journalists in a timely manner. Please contact me directly on joe.sekhon@port.ac.uk. I am media trained and am comfortable holding interviews. An example of me in conversation can be found here 

Looking to Collaborate?

Please contact me directly on joe.sekhon@port.ac.uk if you are looking for a partner on a project, funding bid or another opportunity relating to intellectual property and commercialisation. Happy to explore collaboration opprtunities personally and with my network.