Overview

Intellectual Property – Why Should I Care?

Intellectual property (IP) influences many of the decisions made throughout the innovation lifecycle, from academic research through to industrial deployment. Yet many researchers and engineers encounter IP only when faced with publication decisions, industrial collaborations, or commercialisation opportunities.

Academic researchers are often motivated by publication, dissemination of knowledge, academic impact and securing future funding. Industrial organisations, meanwhile, may focus on commercial viability, competitive advantage, market access and return on investment.

Understanding how IP supports these objectives is increasingly important for anyone involved in research, development, scale-up or technology transfer.

This webinar is part of an ongoing IChemE series on the the subject of Intellectual Property.

The webinar will take place between 12:30-13:00 GMT, followed by the Annual Meeting of the Research & Innovation Special Group, 13:00-13:30 GMT. We invite all members to join for an overview of the SIG's activity in its first year and a look ahead at upcoming events. Suggestions for future activity are welcomed.

Speaker

Dr Catherine Jewell, Partner, Beck Greener

A chemist by training, Catherine complete her MChem, PhD and post doctoral research before moving into the Intellectual Property profession. With nearly two decades of experience, Catherine specialises in applying patent and trade mark law across the chemical, pharmaceutical and materials sectors, supporting clients through drafting, prosecution and strategic IP advice.

Catherine also leads Beck Greener’s outreach programme, aimed at widening access to IP careers. As a visiting lecturer at UCL and Imperial, she equips future entrepreneurs with essential IP knowledge. In 2026 she has written a series of posts for LinkedIn relating to business and IP (and more recently sport/high performance and IP).

Callum Grundy, Chair, Research & Innovation SIG

Callum is a Chartered Chemical Engineer and principal innovation engineer at United Utilities, UK. In his current role, Callum leads the identification, de-risking, and deployment of innovative technologies to address critical challenges in the water sector, including climate resilience, operational efficiency, and regulatory compliance.

The material presented has not been peer-reviewed. Any opinions are the presenter’s own and do not necessarily represent those of IChemE or the Research & Innovation Special Interest Group. The information is given in good faith but without any liability on the part of IChemE.

Time

12:30–14:00 GMT.

Software

The presentation will be delivered via Microsoft Teams. We recommend downloading the app from the Microsoft website, rather than using the web portal.