Intellectual Property Office corporate priorities 2022 to 2023

Ministerial foreword

George Freeman MP
Minister for Science, Research and Innovation

Intellectual property (IP) underpins our economy. IP drives innovation and investment which, as set out in the Government’s Innovation Strategy, is vital to tackling the world’s largest challenges, such as climate change.

Now, more than ever, we must support innovators as the UK looks to embrace the science and innovation that is at the heart of our post- pandemic economic plan to build back better. The last two years have been challenging for all of us but there are also opportunities that arise as the world begins to rebuild. This Government is committed to helping every area of the UK build back better, and we are dedicated to making the most of our country’s great strengths to deliver growth in all regions across the UK.

We are fortunate to start from an enviable position. We are already renowned for our leadership in research and our excellent scientific institutions that generate life-changing technological advances. We are home to many innovative businesses, from established global players to burgeoning start- ups. Our Research and Development (R&D) Roadmap has committed to unprecedented levels of public investment (a 30{18fa003f91e59da06650ea58ab756635467abbb80a253ef708fe12b10efb8add} increase) in R&D. And our creative industries are known around the world for their excellence in fields as diverse as music, cinema, literature and computer games.

To deliver the Integrated Review commitment to being a Science Superpower and Innovation Nation, as well as getting to 2.4{18fa003f91e59da06650ea58ab756635467abbb80a253ef708fe12b10efb8add} of GDP to R&D by 2027, we need to leverage in significant private investment on top of our £39.8bn R&D settlement. Better capturing and correcting IP will be key to that. So, we want to do more to support those who create and invent. We want to build on our excellent reputation and strengthen the UK’s position as a global Science Superpower and Innovation Nation.

Our manifesto makes a clear commitment: we want the UK to be the best place in the world for inventors, creators and innovators to build on their ideas and find success. This ambition has only become more important as we move through this period of national recovery and re-invention. And IP plays a fundamental role in these ambitions. IP rights give individuals and businesses of all sizes the confidence to develop something new, knowing they can reap the benefits of their work. They are the incentive to encourage us all to innovate and create, to help strengthen our economy and enrich our society.

Executive summary

Tim Moss
Chief Executive Officer and Accounting Officer, Intellectual Property Office

IP matters! It touches everything that makes life more enjoyable, safer, easier and prosperous. It is at the heart of the UK’s ambition to be the most innovative and creative country in the world.

We have one of the best IP systems in the world and we want to be the best IP Office. To achieve these ambitions our strategy sets out our three goals.

This document sets our priorities in 2022/23 against each of these goals.

To deliver excellent IP services our priorities are to:

To create a world leading IP environment our priorities are to:

• develop the IP Framework to keep pace with the societal changes in technology, the environment, culture and the economy

• increasing IP’s Impact through awareness and education

• embed the approach set out in our new Counter-Infringement Strategy, delivering our strategic threat assessment and developing our intelligence centre of excellence.

• strengthen our international approach by maintaining and developing high IP standards through free trade agreements, reforming our European engagement and improving and promoting our international IP business support service

To make the IPO a brilliant place to work, our priorities are to:

• enable our people to thrive, ensuring we can deliver today and are ready for future challenges

• agree a Carbon Net Zero Strategy for IPO and deliver year one commitments

Underpinning our priorities are the principles that in everything we do we will:

• support our people

• focus on customers

• strive for efficiency

Delivering excellent IP services

Ambition: We will be completely customer-focused in delivering services that are easy to use, operate to class-leading standards and change to meet future needs. We will provide creators and innovators with the tools that allow them to use IP to its full potential and inspire further innovation and creativity.

Delivering our core IP rights services

Delivering for our customers is at the heart of our strategy. Since leaving the EU we have seen record volumes of rights applications for Trade Marks and Designs. We have also had historic backlogs in patent examination and our focus has been on achieving our customer service standards across all rights. Speed of service really matters to our customers, and with plans in place across IPO to maintain / improve our current levels of service, we expect this to be reflected in our customer satisfaction scores.

Objective: Maintain our service standards across patents, trade marks and designs.

Key activities:

• we will deliver patent examinations within 42 months

• we will deliver patent searches within 6 months

• we will deliver trade mark and design examination within 10 days

• we will embed the outcomes of the quality review across our services to ensure we are delivering excellent IP rights for our customers

• we will continue to develop our workload forecasting to make sure we have the right people in the right place, continuing to deliver our full services from application through to successful completion of any contentious proceedings

Objective: Support and maintain our existing systems services to our customers.

Key activities:

• we will ensure that our live services (both customer facing and internal) meet our availability standards enabling the office to deliver on its duties and for customers to be able to interact with their rights

• we will develop our systems monitoring and reporting capability to improve our ability to detect faults before they impact staff or customers and improve our ability to determine root cause

Desired outcomes by 31 March 2023:

• customers and the public will have increased confidence, certainty and satisfaction when applying for rights and accessing IP services

Objective: Provide financial support to innovative small and medium businesses to help them make effective use of their IP so they can grow their business and thrive

We will work with partner organisations to identify innovative, high-growth potential businesses across the UK and provide financial support to manage their IP.

We will deliver this through our two grant schemes: IP Audit and IP Access. The IP Audit scheme provides funding for professional IP advice to help businesses understand their IP assets, and develop an IP management plan with clear recommendations on how they can leverage value from their IP. In addition, the IP Access scheme provides follow-on funding to implement recommendations from the IP Audits so they can use the value within their IP assets to grow their business.

Key activities:

• we will deliver the 2022/23 funding schemes with partner organisations
• we will evaluate the outputs and impact of schemes and develop financial support proposals for 2023 onwards

Desired outcomes by 31 March 2023:

• innovative, high-growth potential businesses are able to identify their IP assets and develop a strategy for managing their IP

• support for management and commercialisation of IP enables business growth and development, including entry into new/global markets

• we develop a clearer understanding of how funding support for IP-related activities can improve outcomes for businesses and the UK economy

Transforming the way we deliver our services

Our One IPO Transformation Programme will completely transform the way we deliver services to our customers by making the most of modern digital technology. We are currently two years into our five-year programme, focusing on developing the foundations, new ways of working and the designs of the new services we plan to introduce later in the programme.

Key activities:

• we will have defined our new User Account and started to build it

• we will migrate test data onto our new systems for managing customer data and how customers will be identified and verified before accessing our new customer account

• we will build the initial version of our Master Data Store (MDS) to house our data and we will commence the migration of our existing data on to the MDS

• we will fully define and agree the new ways of working for patents which will be delivered at the end of phase one of the programme

• we will have completed the business change impact assessments (BCIAs) for all teams who will be affected by the phase one changes

• we will have developed our strategy for getting customers onboarded to their new accounts

Desired outcomes by 31 March 2023:

• the first iteration of the MDS will be built and will start to be populated with our existing data

• the business will fully understand and be able to plan for changes which will be delivered for patents at the end of phase one of the programme

• The User Account will be produced and ready for customer onboarding

• we will have a plan to address the business change impacts of the new services and new ways of working so we can support the business through the change.

• we will have a plan to onboard our customers to the new User Account

Creating a world leading environment

Ambition: We will ensure that the IP system supports and inspires innovators and creators so they, and society, get the most out of their ideas both in the UK and internationally. We will develop the IP system so that the law, policies, information and enforcement framework enable them to access, use and protect their IP effectively.

Developing the IP Framework

Objective: Develop the IP framework to keep pace with societal change in technology, the environment, culture and the economy by addressing IP issues relating to:

Copyright

Objective: Developing the copyright framework to keep pace with societal changes, technology, the environment, culture and the economy.

During 2022/23 there are two main areas of focus: delivering the Government’s workplan in response to the DCMS Select Committee’s report on the Economics of Music Streaming; and beginning to develop a new copyright strategy reflecting our ability to shape policy more directly since leaving the EU.

Objective: Deliver the commitments made in the Government’s response to the DCMS Select Committee report on the Economics of Music Streaming.

The Select Committee’s report highlighted important issues concerning fairness in the music streaming environment which require detailed examination. This year, we will conclude our programme of research and stakeholder working groups, which are exploring what industry- led measures would be effective and whether there is a need for legislation. Ministers will make a decision based on the outcomes of our work programme, combined with the conclusions of the Competition and Markets Authority’s market study and will set out a timeline for any action.

Key activities:

• we will deliver the music streaming commitments, resulting in a progress report on voluntary industry measures and a set of policy options for ministers

• we will develop a draft high-level copyright vision and strategic objectives and set out how we will apply it in practice

• we will implement the Beijing Treaty using secondary legislation

Desired outcomes by 31 March 2023:

• music industry reaches agreement on measures to improve transparency in their sector and availability and accuracy of metadata

• ministers have decided on what measures, if any, are required to address perceived unfairness in the music streaming ecosystem

• we have set updated guiding objectives for the UK’s copyright system

• we can clearly articulate whether and how any proposals for policy change fit into our strategy

Exhaustion of Rights

Objective: Agree Government policy on the UK’s exhaustion of rights regime.

On departure from the EU, the Government decided to consider whether it would be in the UK’s best interest to change its IP exhaustion regime. It has not been possible to model the economic impact of the available options, so a new policy framework for the decision must be devised. Once this has been agreed, we will gather any additional evidence needed and test it against the framework before making a policy recommendation to ministers.

Key activities:

• we will obtain cross-Government agreement on a policy framework for decision on exhaustion of rights

• we will put a policy recommendation on exhaustion of rights regime to ministers

Desired outcomes by 31 March 2023:

• collective agreement on a decision whether to change the exhaustion regime and, if so, the timeline for implementation

UK Designs Reform

Having left the EU, we have greater flexibility to make the UK designs framework better. We want to ensure that it encourages creativity and innovation and gives our creative businesses and entrepreneurs a competitive edge. To ensure our legal framework is as competitive, up to date, and as flexible as possible, we are conducting a wide-ranging review of how designs are protected in the UK. A call for views (and a linked survey) is running during the first part of the corporate planning year. This covers three main areas – new opportunities, future frameworks and better regulation. We are seeking views on whether the system is too complex, whether it is adaptable to new technologies and how we can improve the user-experience, increase the value of the IP rights and broader accessibility to design protection. After the call for views is completed, we will then develop and consult formally on concrete legislative proposals – to deliver our objectives for a simpler, more flexible and optimised UK design system.

Objective: Review the design system and ensure it is set up to encourage creativity and innovation in the UK.

Key activities:

• we will complete the call for views

• we will seek Ministerial approval for next steps

• we will conduct any necessary formal consultation

• we will produce any desired draft legislation

• we will complete an impact assessment

Desired Outcomes by 31 March 2023:

• legislative proposals produced by end of March 2023, leading to the reform of the designs framework for the benefit of UK designers

Standard Essential Patents (SEPs) and Fair, Reasonable and Non-Discriminatory (FRAND) Licensing

The IPO, as set out in the BEIS’s Innovation Strategy (IS), has led a Government call for views on standard essential patents and innovation. The objective of the call for views was to ensure the Government better understands how the current SEPs frameworks are functioning to support innovation, and to establish whether change is needed. The call for views was launched on 7 December 2021, running for 12 weeks and closed on
1 March 2022.

We shall play a leading role in ensuring the SEPs ecosystem doesn’t create a barrier to innovation but rather, encourages UK innovation and the promotion of effective competition.

Objective: We shall play a leading role in ensuring the SEPs ecosystem encourages UK innovation and the promotion of effective competition.

Key activities:

• publish the Government summary of responses to the call for views, subject to agreement

• establish next steps for further work

Desired outcomes by 31 March 2023:

• a clear understanding of the UK and global SEPs landscape and whether any policy interventions should be undertaken, including regulatory changes to ensure the SEPS ecosystems supports UK innovation

The UK’s IP regime is central to innovation and can assist in formulating IP policies to ensure the Green Industrial Revolution 10-point plan priorities, UK Government’s net zero by 2050 commitment and the COP goals are met.

Intellectual property rights play a significant role in underpinning the development and adoption of new technology that can tackle climate change. We want to create the right environment to give entrepreneurs, innovators and businesses the confidence to create, invest and adopt new, greener technologies.

Objective: Ensure the IP system promotes the development and adoption of Green Technologies.

Key activities:

• we will identify and engage stakeholders/users to identify IP barriers for green technology

• we will engage internationally to assess the global IPR landscape in relation to development, adoption and access to green technology

• we will hold a webinar with WIPO Green and UK innovators to increase awareness and engagement

• we will conclude research into IP framework and green technology and agree IP initiatives to promote the development and adoption of green technologies

Desired outcomes by 31 March 2023:

• robust understanding on how IP can promote the development and adoption of green technologies.

• agreed action plan in place to promote the development and adoption of green technologies within the IP framework to meet wider government aims on net zero

Futures

We have introduced greater capability for considering futures issues. This will enable futures thinking, foresight and horizon scanning functions to form an integral part of IPO work. The world is changing ever more rapidly. The pandemic has accelerated innovation, especially in the digital realm, and we need to devote appropriate resources to ensure our operations and IP framework remain world class and meet these futures opportunities.

Objective: We will assess the IP issues relating to:

• the metaverse and related technology
• the future licensing environment for IP in the context of technological developments
• how society views IP and whether IP is building a new social contract for itself

Key activities:

• we will research IP in the metaverse issues and develop an action plan to ensure the IP system meets the opportunities and challenges the metaverse brings

• we will research the future role of IP licensing and develop an action plan

• we will research how society views IP and the issues of a new social contract

Desired Outcomes by 31 March 2023:

• robust understanding of IP in the metaverse issues. Agreed action plan in place and initial projects underway

• robust understanding of the future role of IP licensing. Agreed action plan in place

• action plan in place for IP building a new social contract for itself

• horizon scanning/futures issue identification becomes business as usual

Increase IP’s impact through awareness and education

We want IP to be recognised as a valuable asset – a way of unlocking investment, supporting high growth in domestic and international markets, and translating research into economic and social impacts.

Objective: Work with partner organisations to embed our IP education frameworks and improve our support for teachers and educators.

Key activities:

Desired outcomes by 31 March 2023:

• The IP education frameworks support teaching about IP by clearly defining the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to help people learn about IP and its central role in creativity, innovation, and enterprise.

Objective: Build IP capability in research through extension of our IP education programmes

Key activities:

• we will establish a cross-sector panel to review the IP education programmes

• we will work with partner organisations to scale our education programmes

• we will develop the train-the-trainer approach to IP learning across the IP education programmes

Desired outcomes by 31 March 2023:

• The research community will have access to IP education programmes to incorporate into their own training syllabus.

Objective: Agree strategies with our regional partners to influence the integration of IP into regional business/innovation programmes.

Key activities:

• we will implement strategies agreed with our regional partners

• we will measure the activities agreed within the strategies using an evaluation framework for regional posts

Desired outcomes by 31 March 2023:

• decision makers within our partner organisations recognise and understand the value of IP as an asset and IP is being integrated into strategic and policy thinking
• IP is being integrated into regional and national government-funded innovation and business support programmes

Objective: Develop resources to support IP management, collaboration and commercialisation.

Key activities:

• we will review the data collected on the use of our online education and business resources

• we will review our online resources and tools for business and education and develop a forward plan

• we will identify updates needed for our resources to support university and research collaboration and commercialisation

• we will develop a plan to improve cross-government IP capability

Desired outcomes by 31 March 2023:

• IP users, innovators, creators, and entrepreneurs can access up-to-date resources, information and guidance to help them identify their IP, recognise its value and use it as an asset.

Objective: Collaborate with partners in the financial sector to improve our support for the sector

Key activities:

Desired outcomes by 31 March 2023:

• Information and resources have been identified to support the banking and accountancy sectors

Counter-Infringement Strategy

We know that infringement of intellectual property rights creates economic and social harm: it disincentivises creativity and innovation, it unfairly denies revenue to individuals and businesses who own rights, and it poses a danger to the public through unsafe products and services. Some infringement is also linked to other types of serious crime. We can’t address everything at once, so the foundation of our new counter-infringement strategy is intelligence-led prioritisation aligned with wider government objectives on crime, the economy and public safety. In order to determine the types of harm we should focus on reducing first, we will invest in producing a strategic threat and harm intelligence assessment, and then keep it up to date.

The first phase of the counter-infringement strategy is focused on building our external partnerships, and our internal capacity and capability, whilst we improve our strategic understanding of the threat and harm arising from IP infringement. By the end of the first phase of implementation, we will have embedded new ways of working and established the structures and processes to effectively target the priorities we select based on the updated strategic intelligence assessment.

Objective: Embed a new strategic approach to counter- infringement.

Key activities:

• we will develop our intelligence hub data and IT systems (ongoing)

• we will build stronger links with Border Force, Trading Standards and Regional Organised Crime Unit (ROCUs) by recruiting and embedding intelligence and liaison roles

• we will convene a revised IP Crime Group and cross-Whitehall and international policy forums.

• we will establish an evaluation panel and finalise evaluation framework

Desired outcomes by 31 March 2023:

• have a strategic threat and harm assessment, leading to an agreed statement of priority harms

• strong partnerships effectively exchange intelligence and deliver the subsequent phases of the strategy

• increased capacity with key law enforcement partners, improving the link-up and tasking according to IPO priorities

• have an effective evaluation framework and process in place

International strategy

Delivering UK IP benefits in free trade agreements

Objective: We will deliver IP chapters in trade agreements that make the most of opportunities and that defend the UK’s world class IP system.

Key activities:

• We will work closely with DIT to deliver the UK’s ambitious programme of trade agreements (ongoing).

Desired outcomes by 31 March 2023:

• UK trade agreements make the most of IP opportunities and encourage innovation and creativity whilst defending the UK system’s advantages; businesses are able to use these measures to improve their export performance

Reforming European Engagement

Objective: We will reform and reimagine our European engagement, recruiting an IPO European IP attaché and creating a strategic dialogue with key partners in Europe. This work will recognise both our changed relationship and also the influence the European IP framework has on UK businesses’ trade patterns.

Key activities:

Desired outcomes by 31 March 2023:

• the UK has a stronger policy and influencing voice in Europe at both an operational and policy level

Expansion of the International IP Service for business

Objective: We will provide an easy to access one-stop-shop for businesses looking for information about protecting their IP overseas. It will help them to understand what help they can expect from the IPO and how to access it.

Key activities:

• we will deliver a new campaign raising awareness of the International IP services and expand the service into a calendar of activity (e.g. webinars)

• we will scope out how we incorporate international business enquiries into the service

• we will align the International IP Service to the DIT export offer

Desired outcomes by 31 March 2023:

• UK businesses are able to access the IP export information they need and in a way they can use it.

Internationalising the Infringement Strategy Objective: Ensure the international elements of the

Infringement Strategy are coordinated and scheduled to maximum effect.

Key activities:

• following the successful G7 IP Office meeting in 2021, we will work with international partners on the role and importance that tech/e-commerce platforms play in IP counter infringement

• we will hold Ministerial discussions on IP infringement at WIPO

Desired outcomes by 31 March 2023:

• the platforms dialogue paves the way in creating a broader international space for discussing infringement

Making the IPO a Brilliant Place to Work

Ambition: We will create an environment where people can do their best work. We do our best when we feel valued; are clear on what is expected of us; have the skills, resources and capability to deliver, and the confidence to be ourselves and do what is right for our customers, stakeholders and each other. We operate as ‘One IPO’ and our culture is inclusive, one where everyone feels supported, included and valued in all they do. Where our values guide our outcomes and our principles allow us to interact with each other in the best way.

Our values

• delivering for our customers
• innovating for success
• valuing our people

Principles

• respectful, accountable, confident, reasonable, pragmatic

Enabling Our People to Thrive, Ensuring We Can Deliver Today and Are Ready for Future Challenges

Organisational Design

We need to ensure that we have the right structure and ways of working to deliver our strategy. In 2021/22 we completed the first piece of work realigning our policy and corporate activities into Strategy, Policy and Services functions.

Objective: We will implement these changes and complete a second organisational design piece to agree the future operating model for ‘Services’ post-transformation.

Key activities:

Desired outcomes by 31 March 2023:

• our new structure supports the delivery of our strategy and improves planning and coordination of activities

• our people will have understood and felt well-supported through the change

Workforce planning and resourcing

We are a growing, ambitious organisation and having the right people in place at the right time will be critical to our ongoing success. We know that Transformation will change the way we work and for some people, the work we do. We also know that we want to expand our activity in other areas. Anticipating the shifts in our workforce over a longer term will enable us to plan and manage the transition more effectively and provide clarity to our people about what the impacts and opportunities could be. We know that we have some recruitment challenges, e.g. in digital roles which we will need to address in the coming year to ensure we can deliver our transformation programme and wider IPO objectives.

Objective: Conduct effective and forward-thinking workforce planning and develop resourcing and attraction strategies for hard to fill roles.

Key activities:

• we will implement position-based headcount forecasting

• we will complete Transformation phase one (Patents) impact assessments

• we will further refine long-term workforce projections

• we will refresh our Transformation/Digital resourcing strategy

• we will review/simplify resourcing approaches

Desired outcomes by 31 March 2023:

• improved accuracy of headcount forecasting and reduction of manual effort.

• we will understand the future workforce demand in areas impacted by Transformation and have a clearer picture of the numbers and skills mix we need to deliver our priorities over the longer term (size, shape, skills)

• we will be able to effectively resource the roles needed to deliver Transformation and our future digital services.

• we will recruit and develop the skills needed to fulfil our future policy and analytical requirements

Skills and capabilities

We will understand what our future skills profile will look like and develop a range of capability plans to meet these requirements and to support our people to learn new skills and move into alternative roles, where appropriate.

Objective: We will build our capability for future roles and ensure our people have access to the right career development by: identifying what skills and roles will be enduring or growth areas; developing strategies and career development paths to ‘grow our own’ where it makes sense; and, prioritising those areas and individuals whose roles will change.

Key activities:

• we will identify new or growth skills areas

• we will develop and implement transition plans for digital roles (legacy to transformation)

• we will develop and start to implement development plans for BOD

• we will launch further phases of our internal development programme Future Steps

Desired outcomes by 31 March 2023:

• clearer understanding of landscape of future skills needs and agreed strategy to build, recruit or buy in

• clear transition plans for individuals and teams whose roles will be affected

Hybrid working

We have introduced a new model of hybrid working that is based on outcomes, flexibility and collaboration. We will ensure our people are clear on what this means to them and are confident to try out new ways of working. We will provide the technology and equipment alongside sustainable and flexible working spaces so they can be successful.

Objective: Give our people clarity, confidence and the capability to work in a hybrid way that enables the best outcomes for individuals, teams, the organisation and our customers.

Key activities:

• we will provide a range of collaboration spaces indoor/outdoor for people to work and meet one-to-one and in small/medium and large groups
• we will fit out meeting/conference/collaboration spaces with the technology to optimise hybrid working experience for people

• we will provide guidance on how to improve hybrid interactions (training, meeting etiquette, individual/team charters)

• we will review recruitment and HR policies to support the new ways of working

Desired outcomes by 31 March 2023:

• people understand our hybrid working model and the principles that underpin it.

• they have confidence and capability to work in different ways that best supports their outcomes.

• people will confirm that the space and tools work for them

• an evaluation will show that the use of space is effective

Developing our leaders and managers

We will invest in developing our leaders and managers to equip them with the right skills and behaviours to be prepared and ready for the future and to deliver our ambition.

Objective: We will support our people to thrive by investing in and developing their leaders and managers.

Key activities:

Desired outcomes by 31 March 2023:

Wellbeing

In 2021/22 our focus was to ensure that our people felt safe, valued and included in unprecedented times. In 2022/23 as we expect to move into a new normal, we will maintain the focus in supporting our people’s mental, physical and social wellbeing at work.

Objective: We will support our people to thrive by prioritising their mental, physical and social wellbeing.

Key activities:

• we will improve the wellbeing facilities and services available to our staff, launching our new cycling facilities, gym, and wellbeing suite
• we will increase volunteering opportunities and build partnerships with additional organisations
• we will continue our focus on inclusion through delivering the activities outlined in the Inclusion plan for 2022/23
• we will continue our focus on mental wellbeing through delivering targeted activities for individuals, managers and teams as outlined in the Mental Health Work programme for 2022/23, which is aligned to our Mental Health Approach

Desired outcomes by 31 March 2023:

• review by Brilliant Place to Work Committee will confirm that action is on track
• people feel supported, valued and included in their role, as measured through pulse surveys etc

IPO Net Zero Plan

In 2021/22 we worked through the new greening Government commitments and commissioned a net zero report from external environmental experts. We understand our baseline position and have recommendations to achieve net zero.

Objective: We will agree the Net Zero Plan for IPO based on the recommendations in the Net Zero Strategy and deliver year one commitments.

Key activities:

• we will have an agreed plan on how and when we will achieve net zero for our own operations
• we will have completed the year one actions (scope 1 & 2 emissions) needed to reach our target net zero date

Desired outcomes by 31 March 2023:

• reduction in carbon footprint of the organisation and an agreed programme to deliver the Government’s net zero plans across our estate

Measuring our progress

Progress against our strategic priorities is reported to the IPO Board monthly through our Corporate Performance Scorecard. Through our scorecard we provide an update on progress against activities and measures to monitor impact.

We have identified four measures/targets to be our Ministerial Targets for 2022/23. These are:

Ministerial targets

Transformation

1.
By the end of March 2023, the service design, business processes and technical requirements for all six transformation projects (Manage, Secure, Challenge, Registers, Search and IP Journals) will be fully defined and documented.

Customer satisfaction

2.
Achieve an average overall customer satisfaction of 85{18fa003f91e59da06650ea58ab756635467abbb80a253ef708fe12b10efb8add} or more.

Infringement

3.
Produce a strategic threat and harm intelligence assessment of intellectual property rights infringement

Efficiency

4.
To achieve efficiencies worth at least 3.5{18fa003f91e59da06650ea58ab756635467abbb80a253ef708fe12b10efb8add} of our core operating costs.

Resources 2022/23

Our 2022/23 budget reflects continued investment in response to the significant growth in demand in recent years and to enable the successful delivery of our corporate plan objectives and planned investment activity (including our ambitious five-year transformation programme of work).

2021/22 represented an unusual and difficult year as we managed the ongoing uncertainties associated with Covid-19 and the UK’s departure from the EU.

Our 2022/23 operating budget shows an overall decrease in our trading income which mainly reflects the successful clearing of the backlog of work and the return of domestic Trade Mark applications to 2020/21 levels. We have also accounted for a significant growth in operating capacity which now aligns with current and more stable levels of demand.

We are confident that trade income will continue to cover our operating costs and that we hold sufficient reserves, based on current financial projections, to fund all planned investment activity for the next five years.

Financials (£000)	2021/22	2022/23
Patents	80,862	84,055
Trade Marks	74,842	59,075
Designs	7,435	7,057
Other Income	677	580
Income	163,816	150,767
Pay	-89,808	-101,368
Non-Pay	-32,764	-39,177
Depreciation	-3,308	-3,597
Dividend	-3,357	-3,357
Operating Spend	-129,237	-147,499
Operating Surplus	34,579	3,269
Transformation	-6,141	0
Other investment	-2,149	-5,180
Transformation Capital	-18,299	-34,879
Other Capital	-2,433	-2,270
Total Investment	-29,022	-42,329

NB: 2021/22 are Q3 forecast figures.