Patent Information Users Group, Inc.

The application process is open. Please note that there is no need to disclose any confidential or business sensitive information in the application.

Award Package

The PIUG-sponsored award consists of US$1500, a commemorative keepsake, and gratis registration at the PIUG 2021 Annual Conference, an International Conference for Patent Information Professionals. If a team is selected as the award recipient, the award of US $1500 will be divided equally amongst the team members, each member will receive a commemorative keepsake and the gratis registration will be awarded to a team representative, as designated by the team, who will be presented with the award during the PIUG 2021 Annual Conference.

Application Process

The deadline to apply for the 2021 Stu Kaback Business Impact Award is March 8, 2021, 11:59 PM US EST. Applications are welcome from all over the world and should be sent to secretary@piug.org. Award applicants can either be self-nominated or nominated by another. If a team is nominated, the team members can be from the same organization or from different organizations. If you wish to nominate a patent information professional or a team of patent information professionals for the award, you will need to contact the nominee(s) as the award application requires their input as explained below.

Examples of situations worthy of nomination include, but are not limited to:

·       performance of a patent landscaping project which helped an organization successfully manage a merger, acquisition or partnership;

·       a patent validity search which helped a company avoid or support a major lawsuit or an opposition or revocation proceeding critical to the organization;

·       the development or novel use of a tool or database involving patent information which helped an organization expand into a new market;

·       organizing an advisory board to use patent information to improve a product or service; or

·       assisting a project team with developing new ideas and exploring their patentability leading to a new product, process or service of the organization.

In order to apply for the award, each nominee, including all members of the team, must complete the application form, which includes the nominee's name, mailing address, phone number and email address, as well as the name, mailing address, phone number and email address of a suitable contact for each organization as applicable. At least one nominee must be a current member of PIUG.

The nominee will also need to provide an essay in English not to exceed 1500 words describing the work they did in achieving the accomplishment and explaining the impact that it had on the organization(s) at the time of achieving the accomplishment. In the case of a team nomination, only one essay is required from a team representative. The work should be generically described without including any confidential or business sensitive information. The selection committee does not need specific details about the work, but rather needs to understand the impact the work has had on the organization. The essay should also highlight how their patent information professional skills were integral to completing the described task.

The application should also include a letter in English signed by an executive or manager from the organization on the organization's letterhead, or in the case of a team nomination, a letter in English signed by an executive or manager from each of the organizations (on respective letterhead) who requested, supervised, or was involved with the work and who can attest to the impact it had on the organization. The manager should also discuss in the testimonial how the unique abilities, talents and/or determination of the nominee(s) made the achievement possible. The successful nominee(s) and the corresponding organization(s) must also agree to permit the announcement of the award recipient(s) and naming of the corresponding organization(s) to take place via several media outlets such as the PIUG website and wiki, social media channels and/or press releases. Any applications that do not meet all of the specified requirements may be disqualified. All decisions of the PIUG, Inc. in connection with the award are final.

In a change from previous years, only nominations submitted by the current year’s deadline will be considered. If you have applied in the past, you are welcome to resubmit your application. Suitable nominations need not necessarily describe recent projects but can depend upon the contemporary impact of their work.

Please submit applications for the award to secretary@piug.org by March 8, 2021, 11:59 PM US EST. I will personally notify the award recipient(s) of their success on or before March 31, 2021.

Shelley Pavlek
PIUG Chair 2020-2022