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“German Patent and Trade Mark Office counts on Jena”

German Patent and Trade Mark Office celebrates the 25th anniversary of its Jena sub-office – State Secretary: DPMA keeps creating attractive renumerated jobs in Jena – DPMA President applauds Jena staff for achievements in terms of expansion: "hub of German innovation system"

Press release of 21 September 2023

Jena/Munich. The German Patent and Trade Mark Office (DPMA) has celebrated the 25th anniversary of its Jena sub-office in a ceremonial act. In her speech at the event hall Volkshaus in Jena, State Secretary Dr Angelika Schlunck from the Federal Ministry of Justice said, the history of the sub-office was “a shining example for a successful partial relocation of a federal authority to a different Land”. She added that the decision to pick Jena as additional location was “absolutely right”, among other reasons because the city, which is home to successful tech companies and a university, was a perfect match for the DPMA. “The cooperation between science and industry is exemplary, making Jena one of the most dynamic cities in Eastern Germany. It is clear why the city was ranked 7th in the future index of the last city ranking by Wirtschaftswoche magazine,” Schlunck highlighted. The State Secretary also pointed out the increasing importance of the sub-office as well as the decision made in April 2021 to significantly expand the sub-office: “That way, we sent a meaningful political signal: The DPMA as a federal authority strategically counts on the location in Jena, in Eastern Germany, more and more and creates many attractive jobs here.”

DPMA President Eva Schewior applauded the achievements of the Jena staff in terms of the expansion. For 25 years, the staff had been a “prime example“. “You have built up this sub-office for our authority and made it a hub of the German innovation system,” Schewior said. She pointed out that the sub-office and its Head Markus Ortlieb led the way time and again regarding organisational innovations within the DPMA – with electronic time recording in the past and currently, among others, with a digital reservation system for jointly used offices.

Mayor Dr Nitzsche: “Excellent cooperation with the DPMA”

The city’s mayor Dr Thomas Nitzsche also underlined how good a match Jena and the DPMA make: “A drive for research, curiosity and creativity make for a particularly high number of patents and demonstrate the special scientific context in our city. It is therefore quite fitting that Jena was chosen for the new sub-office 25 years ago and that the sub-office is now supposed to be further enlarged and expanded,” the mayor said. “Today, I would like to thank the DPMA as well as the Federal Ministry of Justice for a quarter of a century of commitment to Jena. A personal thank you goes to Mr Ortlieb and his team for the excellent cooperation.”

University Vice-President Professor Cantner: "Almost like Sacher and Vienna"

Der Professor Dr Uwe Cantner, Vice-President of Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, emphasised the positive effects of the sub-office on the innovation ecosystem: “The 25 years of the DPMA’s presence in Jena, in concert with Munich and Berlin, have been an exemplary success story. The city of Jena, as a strong, way above-average innovation site, and the DPMA’s presence here have been creating mutual momentum and inspiration. The DPMA has become one of the major players of the innovation ecosystem in Jena. Even though our common history is way shorter, the DPMA and Jena seem almost like the city of Vienna and its famous hotel Sacher." Professor Dr Cantner is also the Chairperson of the Commission of Experts for Research and Innovation (EFI), an advisory group to the German Federal Government on innovation policy.

The Head of the Jena sub-office, Markus Ortlieb, drew a positive interim balance from his personal perspective: “From the very beginning, the Jena network has made it easy for me and my committed colleagues to get settled, professionally and on a personal level. It has been a challenge, but also a pleasure, to jointly build the new DPMA sub-office. With the launch of the patent examination in 2021, on top of the successful processing of trade marks and designs, there is now an opportunity to productively enhance the positive dynamic in Jena for the DPMA and its customers. In brief: By moving to Jena, the right decision was made for the DPMA, my colleagues and myself 25 years ago.

The establishment of the Jena sub-office was based on a decision by the Commission for Federalism of 27 May 1992, following the reunification of Germany. Up to that point, the DPMA (which was called the German Patent Office, DPA, at the time) only had one location outside of Munich – the Berlin sub-office. The former West Berlin sub-office had been merged with the “Office for Inventions and Patents” of the GDR. Initially, the entire Berlin sub-office was supposed to be relocated to Jena, but Berlin ended up remaining a location of the DPMA.

Expansion of the sub-office – seeking patent examiners

The DPMA is going to significantly expand the sub-office in the years to come, from currently 280 to around 350 staff. The Jena sub-office is in charge of the entire design division of the DPMA. Additionally, major parts of the trade mark examination divisions as well as the entire trade mark administration are located in the sub-office. Since 2021, the DPMA has also relocated parts of the patent examination divisions to Jena. Currently, 40 colleagues are working there in three patent divisions. By the end of 2024, the DPMA is planning on hiring 50 additional patent examiners in Jena, increasing the patent team to a total of 90 staff. These attractive positions are currently being advertised. Engineers in the fields of electronic engineering and mechanical engineering as well as physicists with professional experience or holding a PhD can apply. The DPMA is also looking for experts for IT tasks.

Pictures: DPMA, Jürgen Scheere

Last updated: 8 February 2024