
In March 2021 after 30 year´s employment at the European Patent Office, EPO, I set up an independent consultancy – Stanfield Clarke Associates - operating in the intellectual property space. I am currently interested in the application of patent analytics to landscaping studies of future and emerging technologies, patent data visualisation, the evolution of the commercial patent information sector, creating awareness of IP in the STEM community, the development of IP teaching materials and science communication. I am a consultant in private practice, to WIPO EUIPO, and EPO.
I have a first class honours BSc in physical chemistry and a PhD in neutron science both from Exeter University. I have postgraduate qualifications in defence studies from the (then) Royal Military College of Science, Shrivenham. I am PRINCE II qualified. I have had responsibilities for project management, finance, staff reporting, crisis management, resources, change management, quality assurance etc.
Research Interests.
The interest in, and uptake of, IP especially patent information in the STEM community.
Patent analysis and landscaping of future and emerging technologies
Metaverse applied to patent documentation, the patent landscape of virtual and augmented realities. Convergence with additive manufacturing.
Non textual chemical structure patent searching
The role of patent information in the innovation cycle.
Nobel Laureates and IP
Memberships and affiliations
Fellow Royal Society of Chemistry FRSC
Chartered Chemist CChem
Member Institute of Physics MInstP
Chartered Physicist CPhys
Science Council Chartered Scientist CSci
Academic Activities
Co-organiser and lecturer (with Frank Tietze) Researcher Development Course 5CE1.
I have lectured on Frank Tietze´s 4E1 course,
I am a regular lecturer on the Managing IP MSc course at QMUL
I am a guest lecturer at Kingston University
I am Visiting Fellow for Innovation and Creativity at Oxford Brookes University
I am a career mentor for undergraduates and graduates at Exeter University – Gold award for long term mentorship.
I have tutored Interns and new recruits at the EPO
I have advised a number of MSc and PhD candidates on their dissertations and theses.
I was Industrial placement tutor for undergraduates (Oxford, Sheffield, Bath) seconded to the MoD(PE).
I am chairman/member of the Institute of Physics assessment panel for Chartered Physicist status CPhys
I have been a member of the Editorial Board of World Patent Information (Elsevier) since 2002
I was a “scenario builder” for the EPO Scenarios for the Future project pub. 2007
I was the EPO liaison on the International Standards Organisation (ISO) Management of Innovation Working Group (WG276) which published ISO 56002 Innovation management — Innovation management system — Guidance
I served as advisory board member for IPACST
I am a reviewer for Nature Biotechnology
I have recently reviewed manuscripts submitted to IEEE Transactions in Engineering Management
I am a Judge/Organiser of the International Schools Science Fair held annually in Vienna.
I am a founder member of the Patent Olympiad – an international patent search competition
I was an organiser of the inaugural “Pint of Science” science festival held for the first time in Vienna in 2017. This became “Wissensdurst” after a dispute with the originators in the UK, and IP considerations required a change of branding.
Appointed as tutor for the European Patent Office, Modular Intellectual Property Education Franework ( MIPEF) programme.
Bio
I joined the European Patent Office in 1991. Initially appointed as a patent examiner in electron- and ion optics, I was located at the EPO´s branch at The Hague.
I was seconded to the IT department to manage procurement projects (€multi-million equivalent). This involved the cradle-to-grave procurement cycle and just-in-time, right-first-time, on-site upgrades and installations, with operational and compatibility testing.
In 1994 I moved to the EPO in Vienna to run the international patent information centres programme (PATLIB). This involved supporting the network of these centres throughout the European Patent Organisation member states and organising the annual PATLIB conference to take place in a different member state each time. This required a level of political sensitivity and diplomacy.
In parallel I managed a number of market research studies to understand the use of patent information as a resource for R&D, Innovation, tech transfer and industry. This research was carried out across Europe, the USA, and Japan.
In 2002 I was appointed as application manager “product champion” for the EPO´s online patent information database Espacenet. This involved overseeing the entire product from eliciting user requirements, s/w development, testing, customer relations, to marketing and promotion, including managing trade marks. In due course my job grew to include the same activities for all of the EPO´s free-to-use online patent information services. In this role I was able to lecture and publish worldwide. In this respect I recently (May 2024) received the “award for service” from the Patent Information Users´ Group (USA).
In 2016 a new position at the EPO was created – and I was appointed head of patent research. I led a virtual team of patent analysts, patent examiners and external consultants I established 3 main activities –
- patent analysis applied to specific technical fields – patent landscaping.
- study and report on the evolution of products and services in the commercial patent information sector
- study of the use of patent information by international organisations such as the EU institutions, UN agencies, NGO´s etc
The patent analysis activity proved to be particularly interesting and productive. We produced a number of studies on topics as diverse as Blockchain, graphene, quantum technologies, additive manufacturing, cancer immunotherapy, and space technology. A major activity in 2020-2021 was the creation of the “Fighting Coronavirus with patent information” platform. I coordinated the input of patent examiners in The Hague and Munich, patent analysts in Vienna and the communication team also in Munich. A number of other studies are in preparation. I set up a unit (Future and Emerging Technology analysis, FETa) with budget of €500.000 over 3 years to continue the patent analytics.
Before joining the EPO I was employed by the UK Ministry of Defence (Procurement Executive). My final position with the MoD(PE) was as deputy section leader working in the development of PVD technology for refractory metal coatings on strategic metal substrates. I was responsible for the prototype production operation and staff development. I was also facilities manager.
Prior to this I had been recruited to a research post – working on focussed energy beams (x-ray, electron, ion, laser) for materials microanalysis. I managed research contracts with Cambridge University (Metallurgy and Materials department) and with local high tech companies (Cambridge Consultants Ltd, Cambridge Mass Spectrometry Ltd, Kore Technology Ltd, Cambridge Instruments Ltd). Laser Ionisation Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry for bulk materials was a world´s first. This was a very productive phase with several publications and presentations at international conferences. It was also an exciting time for science (high temperature superconductivity, scanning probe microscopy etc), notwithstanding controversies like cold fusion. I was involved in debunking the claims. I was also involved in developing computer assisted/audio visual training modules for assorted specialist audiences; radiochemical analysis, radiological safety, and anti-terrorist measures for security forces.
Before permanent employment I was a post-doc researcher at Surrey University, Metallurgy and Materials department studying PAN carbon fibre surfaces.
My PhD was concerned with proton dynamics – molecular spectroscopy - of water adsorbed on iron oxide surfaces, probed by neutron scattering. Laboratory work at university included characterisation of the oxide substrates and creating calibrated samples dosed with water vapour. Part of the success of my research was due to a disclosure in a patent application for the synthesis of iron oxide with specific micro/nano -crystalline characteristics. Inelastic, quasi-elastic, and small angle neutron scattering experiments and data analysis, were carried out at AERE Harwell, the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, and the Institute Laue-Langevin, Grenoble.
Selected Recent Publications and Presentations
Intellectual property offices and sustainable innovation Implementing the SDGs in national intellectual property systems. Martin Brassell, Alison Orr, Nigel S. Clarke. Inngot Ltd. Pub. World Intellectual Property Office (2023) https://www.wipo.int/edocs/pubdocs/en/wipo-pub-rn2023-10-en-intellectual-property-offices-and-sustainable-innovation.pdf
The Evolution of Quantum Simulation Technology – A Patent Landscape Analysis
Nigel S. Clarke, Andreas Gröger, Björn Jürgens – European Quantum Technology Conference, Dublin 29th November – 2nd December 2021.
Cosmonautics – the development of space-related technology in terms of patent activity.
Nigel S. Clarke, Sonia Kaufmann, Christof Sodtke, Carlos Weber, (EPO) Sebastian Moranta, Tomas Hrozensky, (ESPI) Aude de Clercq, Nuria Hernandez Alfageme , Stephan Speidel (ESA) , Jochen Spuck (Econsight) (2021)
Fighting Coronavirus with Patent Information (Nigel S. Clarke – project lead) https://www.epo.org/news-events/in-focus/fighting-coronavirus.html
Nigel S. Clarke, Björn Jürgens, Victor Herrero-Solana, Blockchain patent landscaping: An expert based methodology and search query. World Patent Information, Volume 61, 2020, 101964, ISSN 0172-2190, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wpi.2020.101964 .
Jürgens, B., Clarke, N.S. Evolution of CAR T-cell immunotherapy in terms of patenting activity. Nat Biotechnol 37, 370–375 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41587-019-0083-5
Nigel S. Clarke, The basics of patent searching, World Patent Information, Volume 54, Supplement, 2018, Pages S4-S10, ISSN 0172-2190, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wpi.2017.02.006.

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