When it comes to entrepreneurship, having an idea, even an excellent one, is not enough. Protecting it as early as possible is key to shielding both the idea and its creators from copying and enabling the project to develop with confidence. Industrial Property consulting firms can support entrepreneurs in defining their innovation strategy. ICOSA is one of them.
“When we talk about Intellectual Property, patents are usually the first thing that comes to mind,” explains Claire Verschelde, co-founder of ICOSA. “But other assets should also be considered, including designs, the formalisation of know-how, trademarks and domain names, as well as all contractual assets related to IP, such as collaboration, co-ownership and licensing agreements, know-how transfers, patent assignments, etc.” These areas of expertise are covered by teams of engineers specialising in various technical and technological fields, together with legal experts experienced in these procedures.
Recognised leadership in Life Sciences
Founded in Paris in 2009, ICOSA opened an office in Brussels in 2013 to meet the needs of a client base that was already well established in the Belgian capital. ICOSA advises and supports all types of organisations, from startups and SMEs to industrial groups, universities, research institutes, investment funds and family offices. The firm also has a network of partners in the US, China, Japan, Korea, Australia and Canada to support its clients’ local strategies abroad.
Biotech and pharma are among ICOSA’s main areas of expertise. This comes as little surprise given that ICOSA’s two founders, Claire Verschelde and Caroline de Mareüil-Villette, have backgrounds in biology and chemistry respectively.
“Over time, we built our teams,” says Claire Verschelde. “We recruited experts and developed our client base. As our clients expanded into medical devices, we also broadened our recruitment to include professionals specialising in cutting-edge technical and technological fields, particularly AI/software and mechanics. Today, we work on a daily basis with teams of experts who define our clients’ IP strategies.”
Strategic support as a key differentiator
ICOSA sets itself apart from many other specialised firms operating in Brussels through the attention its teams devote to supporting companies with their strategy.
“This is one of the guiding principles that best represents our expertise,” explains Claire Verschelde. “Beyond the traditional services of a firm like ours, we particularly enjoy supporting companies, making recommendations and developing strategies. We have extensive expertise in this field, recognised by the French and Belgian healthcare ecosystems, including companies, institutions and investors.
“The core business of patent attorneys is drafting patent applications and managing relations with national offices (INPI, OPRI) and supranational offices (EPO). Strategy is not absent from the profession; it is simply treated more as a complement than as the heart of the matter. Questions are often asked without necessarily examining the underlying issue: where is the company going, and what purpose does this decision actually serve?
“Making strategy a practice in its own right requires time, a methodology and a dual understanding that ICOSA’s experts possess: an understanding of the challenges faced by company leaders and of what investors expect. It is demanding, and it is the choice we have made.
“From our very first interactions, we make sure we understand the project. Once we have checked for any conflicts of interest, we determine what type of support the company needs. Each time, we adapt to the company’s context and priorities, with a focus on effectiveness and efficiency. The goal is to answer as many questions as possible within the available budget. A patent only has value if it is put to use!”
Brussels: an attractive ecosystem
ICOSA’s Brussels presence has largely lived up to its founders’ expectations, with a highly dynamic Life Sciences sector.
“That was one of the reasons we decided to establish ourselves in Brussels at the time,” says Claire Verschelde. “There is a strong ecosystem here, with clusters and remarkable acceleration programmes. The sector is very rich in terms of innovation and investment funds. We know the ecosystems on both sides of the French-Belgian border very well and, in the post-Covid years, we have seen that many companies have a presence in both France and Belgium.
“Brussels offers both the talent and expertise they are looking for in areas such as ATMPs (Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products). In other words, Brussels is truly attractive for pharma companies and startups.”
ICOSA has therefore naturally found its place within Brussels’ entrepreneurship ecosystem.
“We try to participate in the various events organised by the lifetech.brussels cluster, and we are also part of the MedTech Accelerator,” explains Claire Verschelde. “We organise training and educational sessions. This is an area that is particularly close to my heart because I believe there can never be too much education around IP. The situation is better than it was twenty years ago, but it is still insufficient, particularly because many people from academic backgrounds have not yet received enough training in entrepreneurship, business and IP. We try to explain that it is not as complicated as it may seem, but that it is something you need to think about early on.”
Quote
“A patent only has value if it is put to use.”
website: https://icosa-group.com/
