Winners of the World Intellectual Property Organization-Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (WIPO-IPOS) IP For Innovation Awards 2023 were announced at the commencement of IP Week@SG 2023 on September 4 at the Marina Bay Sands Expo & Convention Centre in Singapore. 

Hailing from the biotech, entertainment and transport sectors, the companies were recognized for successfully using their intellectual property assets to innovate, transform and achieve outstanding growth in their business. 

Biotechnology company Hummingbird Bioscience bagged the WIPO National Award For Enterprises, making it the most outstanding recipient of the IPOS IP For Innovation 2023 award and overall winner. Headquartered in Singapore with offices in the U.S. and Australia, Hummingbird Bioscience is engaged in R&D of cancer and autoimmune disease treatments. The company has a proprietary and differentiated Rational Antibody Discovery platform, developing a broad pipeline of novel, precision therapeutics for the treatment of cancer and autoimmune disease. Hummingbird, whose facilities in Singapore comprise more than 10 state-of-the-art laboratories, currently has two antibody development candidates in clinical trials: HMBD-001, which targets the HER3 protein that drives tumour growth and resistance against cancer drugs; and HMBD-002, which targets VISTA, expressed in many cancers, and enhances the ability of immune cells to fight solid cancers.  

Aside from Hummingbird Bioscience, the other IPOS IP For Innovation Awards winners for 2023 are:  

NEON Group  

NEON specializes in unique, immersive and global touring large-scale interactive experiences. It enjoys worldwide IP partnerships with Hollywood studios and various governments to create unique, multi-sensory, educational and immersive entertainment experiences such as the recent Avatar: The Experience at Gardens by the Bay. The group provides various services utilizing its own proprietary systems, including a creative ‘toolkit’ for concept development, show ‘bibles’ and creative methodologies, as well as proprietary information technology and robotics technology. By using their IA/IP to create immersive, large-scale global touring interactive experiences featuring Third Party IP, NEON has effectively built a unique category of location-based experience business that: (1) brings highly sought after entertainment experiences to their end-user customers; (2) provides incremental revenue to their Third Party IP partners; and (3) is carried out on a scale that is difficult to replicate.  

Mirxes Pte Ltd 

The leading RNA technology company focused on R&D of cancer diagnostics is making cancer early detection solutions accessible on a global scale. Mirxes was founded to commercialize their industry-leading ID3EAL reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction platform for detection of microRNAs and other non-coding RNAs. This technology powers their flagship GASTROClear, the world's first molecular blood test approved for use in early detection of gastric cancer. The technology is also the foundation on which their multi-cancer early detection clinical pipeline is built. In 2022, Mirxes opened their Industry 4.0 In Vitro Diagnostic Manufacturing Facility, combining automation and digitalization, to advance in vitro diagnostic productization and manufacturing capabilities and accelerate the development of multi-cancer early detection test, pulmonary and cardiovascular disease tests. This first-of-its kind facility in Southeast Asia enables Mirxes to address the next big challenge in healthcare – cancer, and stay prepared should we need to combat another epidemic. 

Grabtaxi Holding Pte Ltd 

Southeast Asia’s leading super app across the deliveries, mobility and digital financial services sectors, garnered the WIPO National Award for WIPO Users. The award is given to an early adopter who has innovatively used WIPO's IP services, such as PCT, Madrid and Hague. Grabtaxi serves over 500 cities in eight Southeast Asian countries - Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam - enabling millions of people every day to order food or groceries, send packages, hail a ride or taxi, pay for online purchases or access services such as lending and insurance, all through a single app.  

IP Week@SG 2023 will run until September 8, 2023. 

- Asia IP