The main purpose of the International Standards Board for Qualified Patent Information Professionals (ISBQPIP) program is to ... certify experienced patent information professionals to become QPIPs. This is primarily achieved via examination but also initially from Prior Experience Recognition (PER). The initiative has three main focus goals. Professional standards In the 'Google-age' many people believe that everybody can search nowadays and that everything is available for free on the internet. The aim of certification is to set professional standards. Quality assurance There is a growing number of search service companies, but it is difficult to determine the quality of these services. The aim of certification is to give a kind of quality assurance (although as with any examination there is no guarantee that all who pass have the desired quality level) Recognition of profession it takes time and effort to become an all-round patent information professional and it is a responsible job (missing crucial documents may be disastrous), however, the job is not always valued. The aim of certification is to get recognition of the profession, and thereby maybe make it more attractive. read more