Asia scored big at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Global Awards 2024 as four small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from the region figured among the nine winners of the prestigious annual awards held on July 12, 2024, during the 65th WIPO General Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland.  

The WIPO Global Awards recognize startup companies and SMEs around the world that have smartly used their intellectual property portfolio to innovate, achieve commercial success and improve society. 

The winning SMEs from Asia are: 

1. AETECH (South Korea) – provides an efficient and cost-effective waste recycling solution via the use of a robot with AI deep learning technologies, enabling accurate sorting into 46 subcategories 

2. Healinno Tech (China) – facilitates treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia via its automated waterjet ablation surgical robot 

3. Meticuly (Thailand) – designs perfect fitting titanium bone replacements using 3D and AI technologies, as opposed to pre-sized implants currently in use, thus improving patients’ quality of life 

4. Vivo Surgical (Singapore) – develops medical devices designed to improve surgeons’ abilities to perform complex surgeries, especially in times of disaster and conflict when lack of electricity hampers surgical operations 

Rounding up the winning circle were Farmers Lifeline Technologies (Kenya), Laboratorios Química Luar (Argentina), PONS Technology (Turkey), Qnami (Switzerland) and ScansX (Kuwait). As winners of the WIPO Global Awards 2024, these startups and SMEs will benefit from networking and mentoring opportunities on IP commercialization, international promotion and access to WIPO’s resources, among others. 

The nine winners bested over 660 other startups and SMEs from 107 countries. Among them were the 25 finalists, including companies from China, the Philippines, India, Thailand and Japan. WIPO Director General Daren Tang presented the trophies to the winners during the awarding ceremony. 

- Espie Angelica A. de Leon