Singapore’s youth innovators can now receive free help to draft patent application documents and get advice on protecting their intellectual property with the recent rollout of the World Intellectual Property Organization’s (WIPO) Inventor Assistance Programme (IAP) in the country.

The programme, which is available in seven other countries, will help inventors aged 18 – 35 years old with limited financial means to navigate the patent system with the support of volunteer patent attorneys from the Association of Singapore Patent Attorneys. They are Low Pei Lin from Allen & Gledhill, James Kinnaird and Edward Ng from Marks & Clerk Singapore, Martin Rainier Gabriel Schweiger from Schweiger & Partners, Eugene Yang from Amica Law and Heng Li Ling from Singapore Institute of Technology.

“We’re very happy to launch the Singapore chapter of WIPO’s IAP. We hope this will make it easier for youth innovators to protect their inventions and help them recognize the importance of protecting and commercializing their IP," said Intellectual Property Office of Singapore chief executive Rena Lee.

"The driving force behind the program is that every innovator deserves a chance to have their idea protected. Singapore's program puts an emphasis on the next generation of young innovators and entrepreneurs, poised to solve the biggest challenges of tomorrow. With the IP professionals available through its global network of volunteers, the IAP positions them to transform their ideas into commercial assets and their dreams into reality”, said WIPO’s assistant director general of the IP and innovation ecosystems sector Marco Alemán.

Full details on the eligibility criteria, application and selection process for the IAP can be found at www.ipos.gov.sg/wipo-iap. 

Applicants can register their interest by applying directly through WIPO’s IAP online platform. Official fees are still payable.

- Asia IP