Higher education institutions and, particularly, polytechnic institutes in Portugal are, generally speaking, recognised as key stakeholders in regional development.However, due to the economic recession of recent years and the consequent budget constraints, higher education institutions, now more than ever, need to demonstrate the social and cultural impact of their activities within their communities and, also, their contribution to its economic development. Thus, the aim of this paper is to estimate the economic impact of a group of polytechnic institutes located in regions with diverse socioeconomic realities, by using a common methodology. This common framework enables a comparative study and a better identification of the variables that differentiate the realities of the different regions, the respective polytechnics and their impacts.

This article discusses the need of a Unified Patent Court, as a major contribution for the implementation of the European unitary patent. It begins by outlining the evolution of European patent rights and identifying the problems of the current system. Implementing a Unified Patent Court will be defended as a solution for one of the most important problems of the European patent: the lack of a central mechanism of jurisdictional control. The current model of jurisdictional control gives rise to a situation of great legal uncertainty and has diminished the value of European Union patent rights. We will analyse the virtues and disadvantages of the new European Unitary Patent resulting from the adoption of Regulations (EU) 1257/2012 and 1260/2012 and the Agreement on a Unified Patent Court.

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