Summer of IP 2026 Introductory Events
These introductory events, provided by our Careers in Ideas team, will introduce you to the basics about intellectual property and the careers available here.
Pre-recorded events will be available here from June 2026. Live online events will be broadcast in June and July 2026, with the recordings available afterwards for those who can’t be there in person. Details of each event (including registration) will be available on our Main Events Calendar.
Please take some time to watch the first few pre-recorded events – these will explain how Summer of IP works and give you an overview of the IP sector and the wide range of careers available here. They’ll help you decide which of the career(s) you’re particularly interested in, so that you can watch recordings of other events, or attend employer activities, that cover them in more detail.
Some of the later introductory events will explain routes into particular careers, even helping you to put your application together or giving you a chance to hear from people who already work in IP.
Unless otherwise stated, these events will provide very general information about IP careers and are intended for anyone who’s interested in learning more about a career within IP, including secondary school students, university students, graduates and career changers. They are all available free of charge. We hope you enjoy them!
This recording from Careers in Ideas provides essential information for careers advisers and outreach organisations so they can advise students on careers in intellectual property and opportunities offered by Summer of IP 2026.
Access the recording at: https://youtu.be/k087BzbQ2f8
Slides available at: Launch event slide deck
Join Andrea Brewster OBE (Lead Executive Officer of IP Inclusive) for an introduction and welcome to the Summer of IP 2026 programme. Hear about Careers in Ideas – IP Inclusive’s outreach campaign that seeks to increase the diversity of recruits into the IP professions. Find out about the events and resources they offer, which are targeted at school, college and university students, career changers, and their teachers and careers advisers. And learn why diversifying our intake matters so much to the IP professions.
Andrea will also introduce you to Summer of IP and its aims. You’ll find out about the events and activities on offer this summer – which will enable you to learn about various careers in IP and gain practical experience of an IP workplace – as well as how to get the best out of the programme.
Access the recording at: To follow
Slides available at: To follow
Andrea Brewster OBE, who leads the IP Inclusive initiative behind Careers in Ideas, explains why now is such a great time to be thinking about joining the IP professions.
Access the recording at: To follow
Powell Gilbert, in association with Careers in Ideas, are kindly hosting a hybrid event where you can learn all about the different types of Intellectual Property, with the opportunity to ask questions. There will also be networking and refreshments for in-person attendees.
Date: 22nd July
Chris Burnett (Knights) provides an introduction to, and context for, the many different IP career roles. He tells us a little about each of the roles – from paralegal to patent or trade mark attorney, from IP Office examiner to IP solicitor or barrister, as well as a whole range of business support roles from administration to HR to finance. His talk covers entry requirements, job descriptions and skills needed, to help you get a feel for which role might be right for you.
You’ll also learn when and how each type of IP professional contributes to the overall process for identifying, protecting, exploiting and enforcing IP rights – and why that process is so important for the businesses of today.
Access the recording at: To follow
Meet not one but two panels of speakers who hold various positions in the Patents and Trade Marks professions.
Date: 7th July
Powell Gilbert, in association with Careers in Ideas, are kindly hosting a hybrid event where you can hear from their panel about the working life of IP solicitors and IP barristers, with the opportunity to ask questions. There will also be networking and refreshments for in-person attendees.
Date: 8th July
Mishcon, in association with Careers in Ideas, are kindly hosting an online event.
More info to follow soon!
An online panel event exploring the IP-related careers that might be particularly suited to people with a background in chemical and biological sciences.
Date: 18th June
Curious about the diverse and rewarding careers that keep the intellectual property world running smoothly? Join us for a lively panel discussion showcasing the breadth of roles within IP business services — and the people who make them thrive.
Five experts — from recruitment to HR, IT training to operations and paralegal work — reveal the breadth of opportunities in IP business support. They’ll share their career journeys, the skills that power their work, and the unique benefits of building a career in IP business support.
Access the recording at: To follow
In this online event you will hear from a panel of Patent Examiners from the UK Intellectual Property Office.
Date: 17th June 2026
Date: TBC
This webinar will introduce you to two new apprenticeship schemes that are being set up in the patent profession. One is a patent scientist/patent engineer degree apprenticeship, which can lead to qualification as a patent attorney, and the other a patent paralegal apprenticeship. You’ll hear from the people involved in establishing the two schemes and have a chance to ask them your own questions about these exciting developments.
Application skills masterclass with invaluable guidance for people who want to apply to become patent or trade mark attorneys. Our panel of IP attorneys and recruiters talk about CVs, covering letters, interviews, and maximising your chances of success when applying for a traineeship (2024).
Access recording at: To follow
Application skills masterclass, plus slides on CV drafting, interview selection tasks and a presentation about video interviews (June 2021):
Access recording at: To follow
Application skills masterclass, plus accompanying notes on accessibility in the patent and trade mark professions (Nov. 2020):
Access recording at: To follow
Fellows and Associates bring together a set of short, interview-led conversations with practitioners from leading international firms, including FB Rice and Spruson & Ferguson, focusing on what it’s really like to build an intellectual property career outside the UK.
Across the series, contributors share first-hand insight into qualification routes, day-to-day practice across different jurisdictions, and the cultural and professional differences that shape IP work internationally. The videos also highlight the breadth of global opportunities available to graduates and early-career professionals, offering a practical perspective on taking an IP career beyond the UK.
Access the recording at: To follow
Date: 17th July
Join our IP Futures community for an in-person networking event in London. Open to anyone age 18+ who is interested in a career in IP, as well as current IP professionals (up to mid-level).
Date: TBC
Grab a coffee/tea/whatever you like to drink, and join our Women in IP community for an informal online chat about working in IP. This is a chance to meet people who already have “careers in ideas”. You can find out what they do, what they enjoy about it, what they find challenging, how they got into the IP professions and what you need to know before you set out on your own IP journey – including about issues that specifically face IP professionals who identify as women. The discussions will happen in smaller breakout rooms so you have a chance to really get to know these incredibly friendly people.
Jane Wainwright introduces our mentoring scheme in this short 8 minute video.
Access the recording at: To follow
Hear from one of our mentees and their mentor about how being part of the Careers in Ideas Mentoring Hub helped them secure a role in IP.
Access the recording at: To follow
Last Updated: May 26, 2026