Opportunity to become a Qualified Patent Information Professional

You may be wondering what is a Qualified Patent Information Professional (QPIP) and why would I want to become one?  QPIP is the title that will be used by certified patent searchers and analysts who have demonstrated core competencies in searching and analysing patent information as well as having a working knowledge of patent law and patent systems.   Under the certification system, the QPIP will also be required to keep their knowledge and skills up-to-date by participating in continued professional development (CPD) activities on an annual basis.  More information about the core competencies and the CPD can be found in Rules 18 and 23 of the certification system.

The QPIP certification will therefore set a standard of professionalism by which a stakeholder such as an employer or a client can assess an employee, job applicant or a service provider.  It will also show a deep level of commitment by certified patent searchers and analysts to uphold the standards of their profession.  Certification will also provide credibility to the work performed that sometimes is mistakenly considered replaceable by free resources and online tools.  It will also provide a defined path for becoming a patent information professional which will help to attract newcomers to the profession.

Over the past several years, volunteers from the Patent Documentation Group (PDG), the Confederacy of European Patent Information User Groups (CEPIUG) and the Patent Information Users Group (PIUG) have worked together towards establishing the QPIP certification.  On 31 August 2018, the International Standards Board for QPIP (ISBQPIP) was officially established as a not-for-profit organisation.  Ten days later, on 10 September 2018, at the 10th anniversary conference of the CEPIUG in Milan, Italy, the Supervisory Council of the ISBQPIP announced the opportunity for experienced patent information professionals to become a QPIP via Prior Experience Recognition (PER). 

This is a call for all applicants from Europe and the United States of America who are interested in applying for PER.  The application window for these applicants will begin on December 10, 2018 and conclude on March 11, 2019 11:59 PM Central European Time (5:59 PM US EST).  Please note that there will be no further opportunities for residents of Europe and the United States to apply for PER.

Any interested person should visit www.qpip.org where they can find information on the procedure of applying for PER in the Articles and Rules (see Article 7 and Rules 18-19).  In addition, a draft of the PER application form (which will be replaced by the official form at the start of the application window) has been made available to serve as a guide for deciding whether and how to apply for PER.  The application form also serves as a checklist for the supporting documentation that will be required.

At this point, you may be asking yourself one or more of the following questions.  If so, please see the FAQ section of the QPIP website for the detailed answers. 

1. What are the requirements for becoming a QPIP via PER?
2. What if I am not sure whether I meet all of the requirements for applying?
3. What is the PER application fee?
4. Is there a fee for maintaining my QPIP registration?
5. What is the time commitment involved in serving on an ISBQPIP committee?
6. What are the tasks of the different ISBQPIP committees?
7. Is QPIP a license to practice?
8. I don't reside in Europe or the United States, when can I apply for PER?