A bilateral meeting at the management level between the State Agency on Intellectual Property (AGEPI) and the Austrian Patent Office took place on July 8, 2026, on the sidelines of the 68th Series of Meetings of the Assemblies of the Member States of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), held in Geneva.

At the beginning of the meeting, the Director of AGEPI, Iulian E. Iorga, expressed his appreciation for the constant support provided by the Republic of Austria to the Republic of Moldova in the process of institutional development and modernization, highlighting the significant contribution of the Austrian Development Agency to strengthening the capacities of public authorities in the Republic of Moldova, through the implementation of development projects in key areas for the country’s European path.

The discussions reviewed the cooperation relations between AGEPI and the Austrian Patent Office, which date back to 1997, with the signing of the Cooperation Agreement between the two institutions. The Agreement formed the basis of bilateral cooperation in the field of patents, with the main objective of the Austrian Office conducting, upon request, documentary research on the state of the art for patent applications filed in the Republic of Moldova, thus contributing to the development of the national system for the protection of inventions and the strengthening of the examination capacities of AGEPI.

During the meeting, representatives of the two offices exchanged information on recent developments in the intellectual property systems of the Republic of Moldova and Austria, as well as on the institutional priorities of the recent period. Particular emphasis was placed on the digital transformation of services, improving the quality of examination processes and developing modern support tools for innovation and the valorization of intellectual property.

The Director of AGEPI expressed his interest in taking over the best practices developed by Austrian partners, especially in the field of patenting, as well as in the experience of the Austrian Office in implementing programs dedicated to stimulating innovation, supporting enterprises and research institutions in the process of protecting and using intellectual property rights.

In turn, the President of the Austrian Patent Office, Dr. Stefan Harasek, reiterated the openness of the institution he leads to deepening the professional dialogue and expanding cooperation with AGEPI, including through exchanges of experience and joint initiatives in areas of mutual interest.

The parties agreed that deepening bilateral cooperation will generate benefits for both institutions and, in particular, for the community of innovators, researchers and the business environment in the two states. In this context, the parties expressed their intention to strengthen the legal framework of cooperation by concluding an interinstitutional Memorandum of Cooperation, which will create premises for expanding bilateral cooperation and developing new joint projects in the field of intellectual property.

The meeting reconfirms the commitment of both offices to promote an active institutional dialogue and to use the opportunities offered by bilateral cooperation in support of the development of a modern and efficient intellectual property protection system.