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Taking your invention beyond the garden shed

British Library's first 'Inventor in Residence' to give one-to-one advice to aspiring inventors, innovators and entrepreneurs

The British Library has appointed Mark Sheahan to be its first ever 'Inventor in Residence'. For the next 12 months Mark will be the face of the Library's intellectual property (IP) collections and services, starting with a round of free one-to-one advice sessions to be held at the British Library Business & IP Centre at St Pancras.

Mark is the inventor of SqueezeopenT, an easy-open container which won him the accolade of Innovator of the Year in 2003 (www.squeezeopen.com). He has not only designed, developed, patented and sold his products but has also had his inventions taken up by major packaging producers, via licensing agreements, in the UK, the US and Japan.

The one-to-one advice sessions are intended to help inventors who have products or ideas that need patenting, or who are seeking advice on securing the best licensing agreement.

"Inventing can be a lonely and frustrating pursuit," says Mark, "If you want to get your idea out of the garden shed and onto the market, perhaps the most important thing you can do is to make connections with other inventors, join an inventors' club or make use of a resource like the Business & IP Centre.

"One of the major errors that many inventors make is to try to take their idea to market without first seeking guidance on how they can best protect and develop it," he adds. "Through these advice sessions, I hope to offer people who are in the position I was ten years ago the kind of tips that will help them to avoid some of the common pitfalls and to make the most of their invention."

Aspiring inventors and innovators can apply for a one-to-one session by visiting: www.bl.uk/bipc Applications are open until June 30.

For further information please contact: Ben Sanderson at the British Library Press Office (telephone +44 (0)1937 546126, email: ben.sanderson@bl.uk) or Lawrence Christensen (telephone +44 (0)20 7412 7114, email: lawrence.christensen@bl.uk)

NOTES FOR EDITORS

  1. The British Library - is the national library of the United Kingdom. It provides world class information services to the academic, business, research and scientific communities and offers unparalleled access to the world's largest and most comprehensive research collection. Further information is available on the Library's website at www.bl.uk, which currently records almost 2 million 'hits' or visits per month. The London Development Agency awarded the British Library's Business & IP Centre £1 million in May 2005 to help transform it from a successful pilot project into a permanent national resource. Access to the Centre is free. Users need a Reader's Pass, for more information visit: www.bl.uk/bipc.
  2. Mark Sheahan - is Managing Director of Compgen Limited and the inventor of Squeezeopen and Popi closure technologies, and is the Proprietor of Plasgen Design. Mark is a Fellow of the Royal Society, a Pioneer of the Nation, on the Executive Council for both the Institute of Patentees & Inventors and British Association's for Inventors, Vice Chairman of the CRTI and the first 'Inventor in Residence' for the British Library. See: www.squeezeopen.com.
  3. The enhanced Business & IP Centre, launched in March 2006, offers:
    • Impartial library information experts trained in the needs of SMEs and entrepreneurs to guide users to the full range of resources
    • Workshops and clinics run by British Library and its business partners on subjects including: using intellectual property resources to check if ideas are novel, how to protect your ideas & designs, capitalising on market research resources, financing, marketing and selling skills, and pinpointing customers. Some of these workshops have a specific focus on supporting the needs of women, black and Asian minority ethnic groups, and entrepreneurs with disabilities.
    • Business partners supporting the Business & IP Centre include Business Link for London, Business Plan Services, Camden Business Forum, Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys, Dynamic Asian Women's Network, Everywoman, ideas21, Innovation Central, Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys, London Chamber of Commerce & Industry, oneLondon, Own It, UK Patent Office
    • A networking area for SMEs to meet and network with other SMEs, find out about the Library’s full range of services and get inspiration from success stories about products and services conceived by other Centre users.
    • Wireless internet access (WiFi) so users can connect to the internet and access e-mail from the Centre by using the Library's own pay-as-you-go service
    • Large-scale role model events – featuring successful entrepreneurs – to inspire, entertain and guide aspiring entrepreneurs on setting up and running a successful business and for SMEs to network. Previous examples include the sell-out ‘Winners: the Rise and Rise of Black British Entrepreneurs’, ‘Desperately Seeking Finance’, ‘The Asian Advantage – Discover the Formula for Success’, ‘Hot Off the Press’ and last November’s ‘Commerce With a Conscience’ event.