“My Summer of IP” stories

Our Summer of IP campaigns provide a range of activities and events for would-be recruits to the IP professions – including introductions to the basics about IP and the careers available here, some more specific events to showcase particular types of career, and opportunities such as taster sessions and work experience placements from IP sector employers.

We asked participants to tell us about their Summer of IP experiences, what they learnt and what they enjoyed the most. Here are their stories from the 2026 and 2023 campaigns; we hope you enjoy them and that they inspire you to get involved…

Feedback from Summer of IP 2023 was so positive that we ran the campaign again in 2024 and 2026. Keep an eye on our Events page for details of the next campaign.

Unlocking intellectual property career pathways for young people: the role Careers in Ideas can play

This guest post from science educator Veronica Forcina looks at the role Careers in Ideas can play in inspiring school students to consider a future in IP. Veronica is a PhD chemist and educator who loves turning complex ideas into stories people want to listen to. She tells us she's ...

My Summer of IP Experience: Career Advice Over Coffee

In this blog post for Summer of IP 2026, Kadija Begum shares her experience of meeting an IP professional for a one-to-one chat as part of our Coffee Dates scheme. Kadija writes: I had a coffee date with Sally Bovill, a patent attorney at Reckitt. The conversation felt very natural and relaxed, ...

My Summer of IP Experience: Putting Patent Claim Drafting into Practice

In this blog post for Summer of IP 2026, Kadija Begum shares her experience attending one of our Employer Events - an IP Taster Day at Venner Shipley. As well as getting a sense of the people and working environment, she got the chance to draft a patent claim for a real ...

My Summer of IP Experience: Understanding Different Forms of IP and the Unified Patent Court

In this blog post for Summer of IP 2026, Kadija Begum shares her experience attending one of our hybrid Introductory Events, where she learnt about the different types of Intellectual Property, and enjoyed the opportunity to network and find out more afterwards. Kadija writes: As part of the Summer of IP programme, ...

My Summer of IP Experience: Discovering Routes into IP Through Networking

In this blog post for Summer of IP 2026, Kadija Begum shares her experience attending one of our Introductory Events in London, which brought together would-be, emerging and established intellectual property professionals for an evening of networking. Kadija writes: I first heard about this event through IP Inclusive and Careers in Ideas ...

My Summer of IP Experience: Discovering Diverse Career Paths

In this blog post for Summer of IP 2026, Kadija Begum shares her experience attending one of our Introductory Events in London, where she heard from two panels of speakers holding various positions in the Patents and Trade Marks professions. Kadija writes: As part of my Summer of IP, I attended the ...