User engagement

We have a large variety of applicants, from micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises and individual applicants to universities, research centres and large multinationals. We invest heavily in capturing these actors’ diverse perspectives on quality.

We hold regular meetings with our applicants and a large number of user associations, reviewing our substantive and procedural quality as well as discussing users’ expectations. 

All feedback from our users, including that from our Key Account Managers, is assessed to identify opportunities for improvement.

SACEPO (Standing Advisory Committee before the EPO) is the primary advisory body where members meet regularly to discuss major issues relating to the development of the European patent system.

Complaints and Feedback are most welcome and are used to input into our continuous improvement cycle.

Ombuds Service is available to anyone, and it provides an informal and confidential service which resolves difficulties in dealings with the EPO, getting stalled procedures back on track through dialogue. It is independent of formal processes and does not address matters concerning the Boards of Appeal. Lessons learnt from cases help the EPO to further develop its integrated management system for continuous improvement in the consistency and predictability of service delivery.

For more information, please see the Quality Report 2022.