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German Patent and Trade Mark Office further expands patent examination in Jena

Specialists in natural sciences, computer science and engineering sought – Jena's innovative strength and further expansion of the German Patent and Trade Mark Office go hand in hand – Together with Munich and Berlin, Jena is of strategic importance for the protection of intellectual property throughout Germany

Working at the pulse of innovation

What does the work of patent examiners involve? What does training to become an examiner in the patent departments entail? Detailed information on this can be found on our career pages. There you will find:

  • the current job advertisement.
  • Details about the information event on 17 September in Jena and Munich
  • Interviews with Dr Veronika Kleißl and Justus Kruse from the patent examination department.

Press release from 05 September 2025

Jena/Munich. Mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, physics: the German Patent and Trade Mark Office in Jena is continuing to expand its patent examination capacities in these areas, thereby continuing the ongoing expansion of its Thuringia location. The job advertisement is currently running. The patent departments are set to grow to a total of around 90 employees. The higher federal authority is continuing to strengthen its efforts to protect innovations, support progress and promote prosperity.

The DPMA, which examines patents, trade marks and designs in Jena, is a key player in Thuringia's innovation landscape – with an impact that extends throughout Germany. Together with Munich and Berlin, the Office serves customers from industry, small and medium-sized enterprises, as well as self-employed persons and independent inventors nationwide. ‘The innovative strength of the city of Jena and the development of the patent departments in Jena continue to intertwine,’ said Dr Birgitt Fill, Deputy Head of the Patents Department at the German Patent and Trade Mark Office, at a media briefing on Friday.

With the job advertisement running until 5 October, the higher federal authority for patent examination is looking for physicists, technical computer scientists and engineers from the fields of electrical engineering and mechanical engineering. ‘We see an urgent need, particularly in the fields of computer technology, circuit technology and mobile communications technology. However, we want to strengthen all patent departments’, explained Dr Birgitt Fill.

Since 2021, patent examination has been established and expanded at the German Patent and Trade Mark Office in Jena. Trade marks and designs have been examined in Jena since the DPMA started in Thuringia in 1998. To mark its 25th anniversary in Jena, the office was also expanded in terms of space. In addition to its traditional location in the Goethe Galerie, the office has also been represented in Löbderstraße since 2023. ‘Innovation, the DPMA and Jena are inextricably linked. With the further expansion of the patent departments, the positive momentum for our authority in Jena continues,’ said Markus Ortlieb, who heads the DPMA office in Thuringia.

There are currently 55 examiners working in the three patent departments in Jena. The patent division is set to grow to around 90 colleagues. ‘The Jena location is particularly important to us because there are many highly qualified specialists here. Experience has shown that applications come not only from the city of Jena, but also from the surrounding areas of Thuringia and central Germany. This gives specialists the opportunity to apply for an intellectually challenging, attractive and secure job close to where they live,’ emphasised Dr Birgitt Fill.

Training in patent examination with a mentoring system

We are looking for engineers, computer scientists and natural scientists. As a rule, at least five years of professional experience are required. Doctoral studies are recognised accordingly. The authority uses a mentoring system to train patent examiners. Dr Markus Löwe, who heads one of the three patent departments in Jena, provided insights into the job profile at a media briefing on Friday. ‘We work at the cutting edge of innovation – and examining inventions for patentability is very challenging and interesting. The job also offers the opportunity to constantly engage with new technologies, so the work remains exciting in the long term,’ said Dr Markus Löwe at the media briefing at the DPMA's Jena office.

Information event for interested parties on Wednesday, 17 September

Anyone interested in joining the German Patent and Trade Mark Office can find out more about the tasks involved in patent examination at an information event held directly at the Office on Wednesday, 17 September, starting at 6 p.m. Further information is available at www.dpma.de/karriere. To register for the information event, please send an email to Infoveranstaltung_H1@dpma.de.

The German Patent and Trade Mark Office

Inventiveness and creativity need effective protection. The DPMA is the German centre of expertise for all intellectual property rights – for patents, utility models, trade marks and designs. As the largest national patent office in Europe and the sixth largest national patent office in the world, it represents the future of Germany as a country of inventors in a globalised economy. Its approximately 2,800 employees at three locations – Munich, Jena and Berlin – provide services to inventors and companies. They implement the Federal Government's innovation strategies and further develop national, European and international protection systems.

Picture: DPMA

Last updated: 5 September 2025