Marks & Clerk is proudly sponsoring the Innovation of the Year Award at the Scottish Knowledge Exchange Awards 2026, a celebration of the ingenuity, ambition and collaborative spirit that defines Scotland’s innovation landscape.

As patent and trade mark attorneys and solicitors, we are often asked why intellectual property (IP) protection actually matters. It’s a fair question, especially when you’re focused on building something brilliant rather than worrying about legal paperwork.

The truth is that a patent gives you exclusive rights to your invention in the countries where you seek protection. That matters because without it, someone else can copy your work, commercialise it, and potentially even patent it themselves, leaving you on the outside looking in. We have seen brilliant founders lose investment, market share and momentum simply because they didn’t realise protection was both accessible and essential.

There is significant potential to support academia, spinout programmes, startups and SMEs as they continue to discover the options available to them, particularly where patents or design rights may have previously felt out of reach. The UK system provides accessible and flexible routes for protecting innovation, whether it’s how a product works through patents, how it looks through registered designs, or the distinct brand identity behind it through trade marks. Taking advantage of these options can strengthen market position, support growth, and reduce the risk of future disputes. We understand the challenges innovators face and the importance of demystifying IP at every stage of your business. Our conversations with creators, founders, engineers and designers are grounded in real technical understanding and a shared passion for helping new ideas flourish. We value every milestone, every filing, every grant, every new concept, because each represents a step toward building something meaningful.

Our team includes patent attorneys with engineering and science backgrounds who work alongside trade mark attorneys with deep experience in brand strategy. We don’t just understand IP, we understand the technology, the market pressures and what it is like to bring something new to market. Every conversation we have with inventors, founders and designers is grounded in that shared understanding.

Marks & Clerk has been supporting innovators across Scotland, the UK and internationally for generations, helping clients obtain patent, design and trade mark protection worldwide, manage their portfolios, shape commercialisation strategies, negotiate licensing agreements, enforce their rights and conduct due diligence. With a global network of 15 offices across the UK, mainland Europe, North America and Asia, and trusted partnerships with leading IP firms worldwide, we are uniquely positioned to assist businesses at every stage of their journey. This includes early-stage concepts and invention harvesting through to global expansion. Our attorneys and solicitors work with clients ranging from start-ups and SMEs to universities and multinationals, helping them protect and maximise the value of their intellectual assets locally and globally.

Our decision to sponsor the Innovation of the Year Award stems from our belief that forward-thinking ideas deserve recognition, encouragement and protection. We see extraordinary innovation emerging across Scotland every year, and we want to champion those efforts, supporting inventors not only when they are ready to file, but from the earliest stages of ideation through to commercial success. Celebrating innovation and protecting it go hand in hand, and we are honoured to play a role in elevating the brilliant work being done across the Scottish innovation community.

The Innovation of the Year Award will celebrate an innovative product, process or service developed through collaboration between a business, public or third sector organisation and a university, college or research institute. This year’s entries span diverse areas from medical devices, mental heath and social care, to sustainability in the food and drinks sector, and even heritage site gamification. Each entry is unique, inspiring and deserving of recognition so it’s going to be a tough challenge to select a winner!

Connect with us ahead of the awards.

If you’d like to discuss your innovation, brand, or IP strategy ahead of the event, our team would be delighted to speak with you. Get in touch with us before the awards to arrange a conversation. For tailored guidance, please contact Pamela Bryer, our IP specialist in patents and designs across mechanical, electronic, and software-related technologies.