Do you have an idea or an invention and are wondering if you can patent it? Or are you a researcher at a public research institute working on an invention? An Assisted Patent Search at the IPI will help you to get to grips with the patenting process and help you to decide on the next steps.

You can take advantage of the knowledge of a patent expert in your specialist field over the course of four hours with us at the IPI in Bern. He or she will provide you with information on patents and patenting and search together with you in various patent databases. To prepare for the search, we recommend answering these additional questions.

The Assisted Patent Search will give you an initial overview of the state of the art (also known as prior art) in the technology sector of interest. You can then assess whether your idea or invention is new and if it is worth applying for a patent. You will also become familiar with the various patent application procedures and will find out what you should pay attention to once your patent has been granted.

We maintain complete confidentiality of all information exchanged between you and the IPI and all search results.

Here you can find an overview of the IPI's basic conditions for an assisted patent search/analysis.

Please complete and send us the online request form. And if you have any questions, we would be happy to answer them.

If you would like to follow your search by applying to patent your invention, we recommend seeking advice from a patent attorney. He or she will help you with drafting the application and technical documents. The results of the Assisted Patent Search and our advice have no influence on the examination of your patent application.