IPOPHL and PCAARRD continue to hunt for patents in agricultural R&D
21 July 2021
By encouraging the use of patent information, the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) is launching a new collaboration with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) to advance the country's research and technology advancements in agriculture and natural resources sectors.
IPOPHL's Intellectual Property Business Services and Development Division (IPBSDD) is providing a series of patent search and mining training to 17 state universities and colleges (SUCs) and research and development institutions (RDIs) in support of studies on 17 farm and fishery commodities identified in the priority R&D programs of IPOPHL.
“Using patent information to obtain insight into the evolution of technologies in specific sectors of interest is part of IPOPHL's aim to make IP relevant to the people in concrete and practical ways enabled by technology and knowledge transfer. This patent mining initiative is an illustration of how IP may be used in the real world,” says Rowel S. Barba, Director General of the IPOPHL.
The IPBSDD's partnership with the PCAARRD is still continuing strong, and it's the second of its type to encourage the use of patent data in R&D planning. Abaca, bamboo, banana, crab, goat, livestock feed resources, mango, milkfish, natural rubber, rice, shrimp, and swine were among the 12 PLRs obtained during the first joint project, which lasted from 2017 to 2019.
The previous collaboration's goal was to provide a comprehensive analysis of available worldwide patent data, such as patent grants, published pending applications and utility models, and other information on commodities-related technologies that the PCAARRD and its stakeholders identified as strategically important in making the Philippine agriculture sector more competitive.
Barba adds, “The IPOPHL's partnership with PCAARRD aims to raise awareness of patent information as a valuable resource for creating research programs and financing strategies in a variety of technical clusters, including agriculture.
Understanding the patent environment also aids in the identification of collaborators and partners, the exploration of R&D jumping-off places, and the support of a data-driven strategy."
IPOPHL launched its patent mining mentorship series on July 5 and will continue until all RDIs and SUCs have completed their research on the relevant topics.
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