IP strategy as a driver for business growth with Estonian Scale-ups
Enterprise Estonia
Impact
9 Estonian scale-ups represented
30+ hours of workshops and expert mentoring
Tailored IP strategy roadmaps were developed for every participating company
Impact
9 Estonian scale-ups represented
30+ hours of workshops and expert mentoring
Tailored IP strategy roadmaps were developed for every participating company
IfM Engage, in collaboration with Enterprise Estonia, and local partner BDA Consulting, created a programme to help Estonian scale-ups turn IP strategy into a driver of growth. Through workshops, mentoring and roadmapping, participating companies were able to define priorities and take practical next steps.
Following the IfM’s Roadmapping for IP Strategy Development methodology, which combines in-person workshops with one-to-one expert mentoring, the programme helped business leaders identify valuable intellectual assets, align them with commercial objectives and develop practical, future-focused IP strategies. Participants left with clear action plans to support value creation, strengthen resilience and drive growth. Early results include updated contracts, new IP audits and a greater focus on managing intangible assets strategically.
The challenge: Aligning IP with business goals
Many scale-ups know how to protect formal IP, but fewer take a strategic approach to managing the wider assets that drive business value. Data, algorithms, know-how, customer relationships, proprietary processes and trade secrets often play a critical role in competitive advantage yet are rarely considered systematically.
Enterprise Estonia wanted to help scale-ups identify and manage these assets more effectively. Rather than offering traditional IP training with a legal emphasis, the aim was to connect IP directly to business objectives, uncover hidden sources of value and develop practical plans to support growth.
“Our ambition was to equip Estonian scale-ups with the tools and confidence to align their intellectual assets with their business goals. We were looking for a programme that went beyond traditional IP training and provided practical support to help companies identify opportunities, strengthen resilience and create value as they grow.”
Silja Elunurm, Enterprise Estonia
“We have extensive experience in delivering entrepreneurship and business management training and development programmes in Estonia. However, this programme required a specific combination of technical content and practical learning methods on the topic of IP strategy, which has received relatively little attention among Estonian companies.”
Marikai Karilaid, Partner at BDA Consulting
Drawing on research from the Institute for Manufacturing’s (IfM) Innovation and Intellectual Property Management (IIPM) Laboratory and the expertise of IP strategy specialist Graham Bell, IfM Engage worked with Enterprise Estonia to design a programme tailored to the needs of scaling businesses.
The approach: Turning IP into a business driver
The programme was built around a simple principle: IP strategy should be driven by business priorities. Participants first defined their commercial objectives and then explored how IP and key assets could support them.
The programme was grounded in the IfM’s Roadmapping for IP Strategy Development methodology. Developed by researchers in the IIPM Laboratory, the approach helps organisations treat IP as a strategic business resource, align decisions with commercial priorities and turn strategy into practical actions over time.
The programme combined academic insight, practical tools and tailored support. Each company began with a 90-minute expert stocktaking interview to understand its IP assets, existing policies and commercial priorities. This was followed by three one-day, in-person workshops where leadership teams explored key concepts, examined case studies and applied IfM tools directly to their own organisations.
Between workshops, each participating company received 10 hours of one-to-one online mentoring to develop their IP strategy roadmaps. Additional support after the workshops helped companies refine their action plans and prepare for implementation.
The workshops guided participants through the four stages of creating an IP roadmap:
• Define business goals: clarify commercial objectives and the role IP needs to play in supporting growth, competitiveness and value creation.
• Align IP usage with strategy: explore how different uses of IP assets could support specific business priorities and inform decision-making.
• Identify relevant IP and intangible assets: look beyond formal IP rights to uncover assets such as data, algorithms, trade secrets, know-how, contracts, brand value and relationships.
• Create an actionable roadmap: translate insights into clear short-, medium- and long-term actions tailored to each organisation.
“The IfM’s Roadmapping for IP Strategy Development methodology enables firms to leverage IP for value creation rather than a defensive mechanism. By bridging management priorities and strategic IP thinking, it provides a structured, participatory tool to formulate business-aligned IP strategies.”
Prof. Frank Tietze, Head of the IIPM Laboratory
The impact: Strengthening business resilience and value creation
By the end of the programme, participating companies had developed tailored IP strategy roadmaps and identified IP action plans to support implementation. Some of the immediate IP actions taken by participating companies include reviews of IP arrangements in contractual relations, widening perspectives on IP, and new approaches to managing intangible assets internally.
Because IfM’s tools were applied directly to each organisation’s own challenges, the outputs were immediately actionable and closely aligned to business needs. This allowed companies to prioritise changes across areas such as governance, contracts, internal processes and collaboration practices.
“The mentoring sessions were vital for many of the companies in bringing together their learning from the workshops. They offered the opportunity for participants to explore how the tools and approaches directly relate to their own strategies and allowed for the provision of sector-specific advice and expertise to help them complete their IP strategy roadmaps and action plans.”
Graham Bell, IfM Engage
The impact of the programme is best illustrated through how participating companies applied the roadmapping process to their own strategic challenges. Three organisations share their experiences.
TFTAK: Establishing strategic foundations
TFTAK, a research organisation with a mission to accelerate food and biotech innovation, entered the programme with the challenge of managing an undefined IP portfolio. The workshops and mentoring provided the structure needed to identify “hidden” assets and establish a baseline for future commercial growth.
“A practical programme that didn’t teach you how to become an intellectual property lawyer, but helped us make IP-related decisions based on our business needs and goals, resulting in an actionable plan for using IP more effectively to achieve them. The personal coaching sessions were essential in providing valuable information on how to navigate the IP topics that are important to us, and will save us expenses in the future.”
Merli Üle, Innovation Director at TFTAK
Key impact:
The company successfully completed an IP Action Plan and has formalised plans to conduct a more comprehensive IP audit within their business.
Strategic outcome:
By defining its IP scope, TFTAK gained the clarity required to document its asset registry, significantly improving its transparency for future investment and strategic planning.
H2Electro OÜ: Building resilience and global reach
H2Electro OÜ, who are manufacturing electrolysis cells for green H2 production, utilised the programme to focus on risk mitigation and the complexities of managing IP in competitive or international markets. The emphasis was placed on navigating third-party relationships and external threats.
“The course structure was very coherent – starting with the audit, which offered a clear and practical structure, and moving on to how IP strategy supports business goals. The very granular approach to real-life cases and needs was beneficial to our understanding of how the principles could be applied to our own business context, and the mentoring sessions were especially helpful in refining our approach.”
Reimo Hammerberg, H2Electro OÜ
Key impact:
The company completed an IP audit, defined its strategic IP scope, and developed a dedicated “recovery strategy” to manage potential challenges.
Strategic outcome:
By identifying exactly where and how to manage IP through contracts, H2Electro OÜ has strengthened its ability to collaborate with external partners while maintaining control over its core innovations.
Metrosert: Strengthening operational security
For Metrosert, Estonia’s Applied Research Centre and Central Metrology Authority, the focus was on better leveraging the intangible knowledge and trade secrets held within the organisation. The programme helped the leadership team align their business goals with their internal protective measures.
They found the business-first approach a clear point of difference over other training.
“The IP training we have attended so far has focused on the process of patenting or trademark protection. Here, we started with defining our business goals and learnt how we can use our IP assets to help achieve them, and what we need to do to ensure IP assets continue to be identified and maintained.”
Kalev Kaarna, Business Development Manager at Metrosert
Key impact:
The firm revised its employment contracts to include robust trade secret protections and implemented a regular training programme for staff on maintaining IP hygiene.
Strategic outcome:
Metrosert developed a detailed IP activity map across its various fields of operation, ensuring its assets are not only identified but also actively maintained to support long-term business objectives.
Develop your organisation’s IP strategy
For organisations looking to strengthen their approach to intellectual property, IfM Engage offers the Strategic intellectual property management course. Suitable for organisations of all sizes, the programme helps leaders take a more strategic approach to managing intellectual property and other intangible assets. Combining leading research with practical application, the programme equips participants with the tools to align IP strategy with business goals and maximise the value of their innovation and knowledge assets.
“Our ambition was to equip Estonian scale-ups with the tools and confidence to align their intellectual assets with their business goals. We were looking for a programme that went beyond traditional IP training and provided practical support to help companies identify opportunities, strengthen resilience and create value as they grow.”
Silja Elunurm, Enterprise Estonia
“Our ambition was to equip Estonian scale-ups with the tools and confidence to align their intellectual assets with their business goals. We were looking for a programme that went beyond traditional IP training and provided practical support to help companies identify opportunities, strengthen resilience and create value as they grow.”
Silja Elunurm, Enterprise Estonia
RELATED RESOURCES
Roadmapping courses
We run a series of training courses in Cambridge and remotely, throughout the year, to support the transfer of roadmapping and related methods to individuals.
Roadmapping guide
Download the complete guide ‘An Introduction to Strategic and Technology Roadmaps’ where we share expertise and top tips to help you with your own roadmap.