_{fot.: Filip Radwański}

The 18th Annual Conference of EPIP Association wrapped up in Kraków. We are immensely grateful to more than 250 participants from 35 countries for their presentations, insightful questions and inspiring discussions!

We are profoundly thankful to prof. Maciej Szpunar, prof. Annette Kur and prof. Dietmar Harhoff, who agreed to provide keynote addresses. We are also very grateful to our chief economist roundtable participants, Andrew Toole, Nathan W. Wajsman, Carsten Fink, Brent Lutes, Yann Ménière, Piotr Zakrzewski, and to participants of the judges roundtable: Lord Justice Richard Arnold, Judge Angel Galgo Peco and Virginia Melgar.

We also want to express our special gratitude to the sponsors, partners and collaborating institutions. Without their support, the conference would not be possible.

As the local organizer of the EPIP 2023 annual conference, we are extremely grateful to the EUIPO for the support for running annual conferences, which allowed us to organize the event in Kraków and make the conference accessible for participants from Europe and other parts of the world.  

Our massive thanks go to the USPTO for contributing to the organisation of PhD workshop, the Patent Office of the Republic of Poland, the Host City of Kraków, ZAiKS, and to WIPO for organising two special sessions.

We also extend thanks to EPIP Association, the International Scientific Committee - prof. Irene Calboli, prof. Catalina Martínez, prof. Nari Lee, Dr. Nicola Searle, prof. Frank Tietze and all EPIP board members, who supported us during the preparations—special thanks to Dr. Nicola Searle for co-organising PhD workshop.

While we say goodbye to EPIP 2023, we are happy to start the countdown to EPIP 2024! See you next year in Pisa!

Warm regards,                                                   

EPIP 2023 Local Organising Committee

JUSTYNA OŻEGALSKA-TRYBALSKA, Jagiellonian University (Chair)
SYBILLA STANISŁAWSKA-KLOC, Jagiellonian University
MICHAŁ MARKIEWICZ, Jagiellonian University
BOHDAN WIDŁA, Jagiellonian University