March 31, 2020 About the EUIPO

TM5 Catalogue of Quality Services involving users

The EUIPO has published the TM5 Catalogue of Quality Services involving users, a catalogue of user-driven initiatives developed under the framework of international cooperation activities with the TM5 offices.

The Japanese Patent Office (JPO), the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA), the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO), the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and the EUIPO — the TM5 partners — are actively conducting quality management activities to provide fast and efficient services to their users when applying for trade mark registration.

The new catalogue is a concrete result of the ‘Quality Management’ project, co-led by the JPO and the EUIPO. The project focused on sharing information on quality management initiatives between the five partner offices as well as identifying quality initiatives with user involvement.

The catalogue includes examples of initiatives and projects carried out by each TM5 office and the impact they have on the quality of the products and services provided to users. In particular, the catalogue includes a description of each service or initiative, its goals and objectives, relevant key figures and the benefits for the users.

More information can be found on tmfive.org

(Click to open the document)

While the tensions at the land border with Turkey seem to have subsided in the last few weeks, concern is growing over the dire conditions in which asylum-seekers are living in the overcrowded hotspots on the Aegean islands, particularly in the midst of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

In a meeting to be held via videoconference, the Civil Liberties Committee will assess the situation with the Greek Minister for Migration and Asylum, Notis Mitarachi, and Minister for Citizen Protection, Michalis Chrisochoidis, as well as European Commission Vice-President for Promoting the European way of life, Margaritis Schinas, Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson, and the Croatian State Secretary for European and International Affairs, Terezija Gras, on behalf of the Council Presidency.

MEPs will also get to hear from Frontex Executive Director, Fabrice Leggeri, and the Director of the EU’s Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA), Michael O’Flaherty.

When: Thursday, 2 April, from 10.05 to 11.55.

Where: European Parliament in Brussels, room (4Q1), Antall building.

You can follow the meeting live.

The EU has come up with a coordinated response to help tackle the current crisis. Funding research and innovation projects to find a cure for Covid-19 is a vital part of that plan.

Tackling the current outbreak

The European Commission has allocated €47.5 million tor 17 research projects within Horizon 2020, the EU’s framework programme for funding research.

The 136 research teams from across the EU and beyond that are participating in these projects are working on:

• improving preparedness and response to outbreaks by developing better monitoring systems to prevent and control the spread of the virus
• rapid point-of-care diagnostic tests, enabing quicker and more accurate diagnosis
• new treatments
• developing new vaccines

Research teams will share their results in an effort to speed up the public health response.

The Commission also called for research proposals by the end of March focusing on developing treatments and diagnostics to tackle the current outbreak and increase preparedness for future. It falls within the framework of the Innovative Medicines Initiative, a public-private partnership between the EU and the pharmaceutical industry, which is also funded through Horizon 2020. A €90 million total investment is expected: up to half coming from the EU budget and the rest from the industry.

On 16 March, the Commission provided financial support to the tune of €80 million to CureVac, an innovative vaccine developer in Germany, to support work on the coronavirus vaccine. This support will also come from Horizon 2020, in the form of an EU guarantee of a currently assessed EIB loan of an identical amount.

• Financing to boost late-stage development of novel therapy to treat life-threatening diseases, such as Sepsis Associated Acute Kidney Injury.
• EUR 24 million transaction supported by the European Commission under the “InnovFin – EU-finance for innovators” programme.

The European Investment Bank and AM-Pharma B.V. have signed a EUR 24m financing agreement to accelerate the development of the innovative Dutch clinical stage biopharmaceutical company’s recombinant alkaline phosphatase enzyme (recAP), used to treat acute kidney injury (AKI). The financing will support a multi-national ‘phase III trial’ of recAP in 1,400 patients with sepsis-associated-acute kidney injury (SA-AKI). It also allows the Company to fund the steps required to submit market authorization applications following the trial’s completion. The EIB’s financing is supported under the “Infectious Diseases Finance Facility” (IDFF) of the InnovFin programme under the EU’s research and innovation programme Horizon 2020.

Sepsis is the body’s response to infections, which can lead to tissue damage, organ failure and ultimately, death. Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) is one of the most frequent organ failures in septic patients, with high mortality rates. The product that AM-Pharma is developing has the potential to transform the treatment prospects for patients with Sepsis Associated Acute Kidney Injury (SA-AKI). Through the support of IDFF, the EIB can provide stable long-term funding with a flexible repayment and interest structure, limiting the cash outflow from the company and thereby enabling it to focus on investing in innovation and growth.

“At AM-Pharma, we are undergoing a critical Phase III clinical trial for our recAP therapy in Sepsis Associated Acute Kidney Injury. The funding from the EIB, supported under the InnovFin program, will enable us to fully focus on investing in recAP as a life-saving treatment. We’d like to thank the EIB for its support for our clinical programme.” said Erik van den Berg, CEO of AM-Pharma.

Mariya Gabriel, European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, said: “Through Horizon 2020, we invest in better health for all. Sepsis Associated Acute Kidney Injury is a very serious condition with no approved treatment. This deal is a good example of how EU-funded research and innovation can protect health and save lives.”

“The EIB’s support for “recAP” under the InnovFin programme ensures that Europe fosters AM-Pharma’s growth and creates new highly skilled jobs in the EU.” said Ambroise Fayolle, EIB Vice-President in charge of Innovation. “Through this project, and all its R&D activities, AM-Pharma will be part of the competitive search and generation of new knowledge in Europe, in areas that are of the utmost importance to the health of its citizens. The Bank is glad that it can support the quest for enhanced understanding and treatment of infectious diseases and induced pathologies.”

Background Information:

Under Horizon 2020, the EU research and innovation framework programme for 2014-20, the ‘Infectious Diseases Finance Facility (IDFF)’ provides financial products ranging from standard debt to equity-type financing for amounts typically between EUR 7.5 million and EUR 75 million, to innovative players active in developing innovative vaccines, drugs, medical and diagnostic devices or novel research infrastructures for combatting infectious diseases. Project costs may include clinical trial costs, set-up of commercialization such as market access, development of prototypes or industrial roll out of novel equipment, pre-clinical R&D costs and working capital requirement. This facility is delivered directly by the EIB, which so far has made available EUR 241 million under the InnovFin IDFF.

AM-Pharma Holding BV is a late clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company with a mission to become the leader in the treatment for Acute Kidney Injury (AKI). The Company was founded in 2001 and is based in Utrecht, The Netherlands.