Forging the future

Social responsibility means not just outward action, such as the creation of our Biopatent Monitoring Committee, but also internal, intra-company initiatives. Our staff are the pillars of our success and guarantee the high quality of the services provided by the Austrian Patent Offices.

Over the past years, the employees of our Office were integrated in the future-oriented mission of the Patent Office from a socio-political and politico-economic perspective, and are still so today. This way, a new common vision for the Patent Office in the year 2015 was established jointly in 2008. The mission statement deriving from this internal process of dialogue includes, among other things, a vision of the institution that is equally valid for all employees, clear internal communication standards for everybody, and a concept for training and further education. Below, you can find the central elements of the mission statement, which was adopted unanimously within the course of an internal ballot:

Our Vision 2015

• We are one of Austria’s exemplary offices and present in the public.
• We act in a well-founded, efficient, committed and future-oriented manner in legal and technical terms.
• As the service provider in matters of industrial property protection, we are perceived as the most competent provider.
• We strengthen our fixed position as a reliable and active member in the international world of IP.
• We develop our structures, processes and services in a targeted manner, in order to meet the varying customer needs.
• This way, we are an indispensable partner of the innovative economy.

Our Mission

• We secure innovation
• We are Austria's competence centre when it comes to industrial property protection.
• We enable the protection of inventions, trademarks and designs in Austria.
• We provide orientation within the spectrum of national and international industrial property rights.
• We create awareness for the value and importance of the protection of technical innovations, trademarks and designs.
• We pay attention that the scope of protection corresponds with the scope of innovative performance.
• As the regulatory authority within the market economy, we decide on the grant and validity of patents, trademarks and designs.
• As a service provider, we offer our customers tailor-made information, support and expertise.
• We document property rights and make these accessible.
• We bring in our experience in the legislation process and represent the Austrian interests in the development of international framework conditions for industrial property protection.
• This way, we make important contributions for the protection of innovations as well as provide foundations for investment decisions and support Austria’s economic development.

Our Corporate Culture

• We act objectively, we treat humanely.
• We meet all persons with whom we interact with esteem and respect.
• We take the concerns of our customers serious and accompany these in a solution-oriented manner. For this purpose, we create the best possible conditions in terms of personnel and organisation.
• We identify ourselves with the Patent Office as a whole, act in a process-oriented and inter-departmental manner, and make use of our scopes of decision-making. We are aware of the responsibility towards society in the handling of our resources.
• We communicate in an outright, clear and understandable way. We consider information as a debt to be collected and paid.
• We strive for personal and professional development and also see errors as a chance for improvement.
• We offer staff-friendly and job-adequate working conditions and promote
• commitment
• performance
• personal development as well as
• professional development
• and hence pleasure in the achievement of our common targets.

Our Leadership Culture

• From supervised to supervisor
• Excellent leadership means to create conditions under which all of those led deliver their best performance willingly, permanently and in a coordinated manner within the meaning of the targets set. (freely adapted from Rolf Mohr)
• We take our employees’ opinions and suggestions into account in our decision-making processes.
• We set clear targets and framework conditions, within the scope of which our employees may act independently in accordance with their experience and competence.
• We are reliable contact partners for our employees and create conditions for mutual trust.
• We request and promote the development of our employees and consciously use delegation for this purpose.
• We provide our employees regularly with open feedback on their performance and their behaviour.
• We register the atmosphere within our team, address any conflicts noticed in an open manner, see these as an opportunity, and are available as a mediator and conflict solver.
• We provide and demand adequate information in all directions.
• We are aware of our exemplary role and demonstrate
• identification with the Office and its objectives
• courage
• economic thinking and action
• readiness for innovations
• preparedness for further education
• We demand and promote inter-departmental thinking and enter into a network with our internal and external partners.
• We work on a realistic self-image, know our strengths and weaknesses, and make use of constructive criticism.

We offer
our employees

• a modern and safe workplace
• a helpful and considerate atmosphere by a positive communication, error and conflict culture
• solid training
• an interesting and responsible job
• independently responsible work
• decision-making competence under clear framework conditions
• wide opportunities for continuing and further education
• career options
• performance-related wage components

What we would like to have
from our employees

• a positive and solution-oriented basic attitude
• eagerness and orientation towards results
• internal and external service orientation
• social competence and colleagueship
• ability to communicate and to handle conflicts
• identification with the company
• inter-departmental as well as independent thinking and action
• readiness to learn and develop
• awareness of costs and resources