Innovation in the life sciences sector is leading to the rapid growth of medical startups and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) working to address today's global health challenges. In 2025, the Global Challenges Division and the IP for Business Division of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) launched a series of Intellectual Property Management Clinics (IPMCs) for medical SMEs and startups to help them develop intellectual property (IP) strategies that turn medical innovations into market-ready products and businesses.
The team successfully completed its second IPMC in June 2026 to support 20 HealthTech SMEs and startups in Europe in strengthening their IP and commercialization strategies. WIPO partnered with Rubik Hub - an innovation incubator for European startups, operating as part of the North-East Regional Development Agency Romania, Digital Innovation Zone EDIH, INNOVATE-EU and IMAGO-MOL Cluster.
Rubik Hub has a strong presence among innovation incubators and startups across Europe and successfully identified and engaged MedTech innovator companies from Bulgaria, Cyprus, Estonia, Greece, Italy, Lithuania, Moldova, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Türkiye and Ukraine. The portfolio comprised 20 participating companies whose technologies had reached, on average, at least level 5 on the technology readiness level (TRL) scale, which measures technology maturity from 1 to 9, collectively supporting 155 jobs and having raised approximately €22 million in funding. Each company was paired with an IP mentor, underwent a three-month IP training program comprising four workshops and a question-and-answer session and received three one-on-one mentorship sessions.
The cohort reflected a diverse HealthTech portfolio spanning artificial intelligence (AI) diagnostics, precision medicine, oncology, neurorehabilitation, digital health, emergency response, smart medical devices, nanomedicine, radiology workflow solutions and healthcare data platforms.
A core finding across the IPMC was that the companies’ most valuable assets often extended beyond patents. Many possessed strategically important intangible assets, including proprietary software, AI models, clinical workflows, data pipelines, datasets, regulatory documentation, trade secrets, technical know-how, brand assets and commercialization relationships.
By the end of the Clinic, most of the 20 SMEs and startups had developed clear IP strategies to advance their businesses. For example, through the Clinic, RareSum, an AI-powered clinical decision support platform designed to help healthcare professionals identify rare diseases earlier by analyzing unstructured patient records and clinical notes, was advised to protect its product through a modular IP portfolio combining trade secrets for algorithms and data pipelines, copyright for software code, selective patents for technical components and trademark protection to support investor readiness and commercialization.
Similarly, Promethenz, a biotechnology spin-out developing locally activated nanotherapies for cancer treatment, refined its IP and commercialization strategy through the Clinic. This included strengthening the governance of its existing license with the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), establishing a robust framework for future sublicensing to commercial partners, reinforcing its freedom-to-operate (FTO) strategy and identifying critical manufacturing know-how, formulation processes and activation protocols to protect through a strengthened trade secret strategy.
The value of the Clinic was also reflected in feedback from participating founders. According to Rona Geffen, Founder and CEO of CLAB Neuro Sound Solutions, which is a deep-tech company developing sound-based therapies and digital health solutions for neurological rehabilitation, “the program accelerated our execution significantly, and what would have taken us much longer, we have already started implementing across multiple fronts. I'd highly recommend it to any startup founder - the mentors and lecturers genuinely care about making your company investor-ready and resilient.”
Coming to a close at We Make Future
The IPMC concluded at the HealthTech Startups Demo Day, held on June 25, 2026, in Bologna, Italy, as an official side event of We Make Future (WMF). The event brought together founders, investors, life sciences experts, innovation leaders and ecosystem builders to explore how HealthTech innovation can scale across markets.
A key highlight of the Bologna closing was the panel discussion, “What It Takes to Scale HealthTech – From IP to Global Market,” which brought together perspectives from WIPO, regional health innovation ecosystems, incubators, investors and industry. The discussion explored investment readiness, strategic partnerships, ecosystem collaboration, regulatory pathways and the role of IP as a business asset rather than simply a legal exercise.
The Clinic revealed that many companies already possess strong scientific, technical and commercial potential, but require structured IP management, clearer ownership and licensing frameworks, stronger trade secret protection, FTO analysis, data governance and investor-ready IP narratives to scale internationally. In the words of Roxana Vesa, Co-Founder of Synaptiq, a company that developed AI-powered radiotherapy contouring and treatment planning software, “the WIPO IP Management Clinic helped us strengthen our strategy, (…) shape a clear IP roadmap, strengthen our moat and confidently address investor due diligence.” She added that “having world-class IP expertise has a real, lasting impact for an emerging company.”
Overall, the WIPO–Rubik Hub IPMC demonstrated the value of targeted IP and commercialization support for HealthTech SMEs and startups in emerging innovation ecosystems. The program thus supported companies not only in protecting their technologies, but also in using IP strategically to attract investment, build partnerships, access new markets and support sustainable growth.
We join in celebrating the remarkable achievements of these startups as they successfully conclude this IP program, and we remain committed to empowering entrepreneurs through the effective use of IP as a tool for innovation and growth.
Silvija Trpkovska, Counsellor, IP for Business Division, IP and Innovation Ecosystems Sector, WIPO.
In today’s economy, intangible assets protected through IP often represent a significant share of a company’s value. Through the Clinic, participating medical and health technology ventures strengthened their ability to manage these assets strategically by enhancing valuation, reducing investor risk and improving their prospects for financing, partnerships and commercialization. We are proud to have supported them on this journey.
Amos Heng, Health Technology Transfer Expert, Global Challenges Division, Global Challenges and Partnerships Sector, WIPO.