Patents and monetization? FIT BUT to host practical workshop for researchers

At the beginning of September, FIT VUT will host a two-day workshop/seminar on "Patents – what inventors should know," led by renowned researcher and mentor Shmuel Ur. The event will take place on Tuesday, September 2, and Wednesday, September 3, 2025, at the faculty premises and will also be available to watch online via live stream. The workshop is part of the European project VASSAL, in which our faculty and experts from the VeriFIT research group are the main partners.

Shmuel Ur holds more than 230 US patents and the title of IBM Master Inventor. He has a fifteen-year career at IBM Research and a track record of successful collaborations with leading technology companies and startups (including the investment company Intellectual Ventures). In his courses, Shmuel combines stories from his own practice with specific examples and provides participants with practical recommendations. Course participants will gain an overview of how to avoid the most common mistakes in protecting intellectual property, how to use patents not only as legal protection but also as an economic tool, and why „problems are more important than solutions“.

The program will be divided into two approximately two-hour blocks each day, with a lunch break and a final discussion. In addition, in-person participants will have the opportunity to consult with the lecturer individually about their own ideas, research projects, or patent strategies. The event is completely free for participants. Registration for the course is non-binding and serves to better organize capacity.

More information about the event can be found here.