Switching between hats

Fairly early in his studies, Filip Van Lijsebetten decided to pursue a doctorate in the polymer chemistry group of Filip du Prez at Ghent University. ‘Mainly because I had the feeling that this group worked somewhat closer to applications. I was interested in fundamental questions, but it was precisely that more industrial, practical approach that appealed to me more.’ The fact that he comes from an entrepreneurial family will certainly have played a part in that.

During his doctorate, Van Lijsebetten worked on vitrimers applications and developed a method for recycling certain thermosets. The idea emerged to bring this to market. ‘I came into contact with the Tech Transfer Office at UGent, which handles everything to do with patents and spin-offs. I then got in touch with a patent attorney and gradually found myself drawn into this business, during which my supervisor also gave me a great deal of freedom.’ This resulted in two patents that remain active to this day.

On my plate

Van Lijsebetten is now a trainee patent attorney at a private practice firm in Ghent (De Clercq & Partners). ‘After a few introductions to this field, I took to it enormously,’ he says enthusiastically. ‘I wasn’t particularly the kind of chemist who loved being in the lab. Even though I enjoyed it, I knew I didn’t want to do it for any great length of time; I sometimes preferred writing a paper to doing the actual work.’ His current job is extremely varied. ‘One moment it’s about inventions for cake boxes, the next it’s toilet paper, and so on. And because chemistry isn’t particularly popular among most of my colleagues, it quite often ends up on my plate.’

‘Writing a good patent application is quite an art’

As a patent attorney, you remain closely involved in the invention process. Van Lijsebetten: ‘When researchers come to us with a fully developed idea, we get to work on it. We look at what already exists and what their idea can add. We capture the inventive aspects in a patent application, thinking through all the novel elements and alternatives to the idea — you inflate it, as it were, to be as broad as possible.’ The practical knowledge from his doctorate — the technical explanations, the feel for research, the writing — he still draws on every single day.

For life

‘Writing a good patent application is quite an art,’ says Van Lijsebetten. ‘In my view, a doctorate is not the only route into this profession, but it is one of the better training grounds for it.’ It was, however, a significant leap. ‘As a doctoral student, you are highly specialised. But when you move into private practice, things are often considerably broader.’ Nevertheless, you do carry the core competencies from your doctorate with you. Presenting technical material clearly, maintaining sharp focus, and thinking critically about results are all important in both roles. ‘We sometimes have a laugh about it: sometimes you have to put on your scientist’s hat, sometimes your patent attorney’s hat, and you need to be able to switch between the two with ease. It’s an intensive training, but once you qualify as a patent attorney, you hold that title for life.’