Recently, the Ministry of Science and Technology released the 12th Five-Year Special Plan on IP Work in Science and Technology Innovation (hereinafter referred to as the Plan).
The Plan outlines the major goals of China’s Science and Technology innovations in the 12th Five-Year. According to the Plan, IP utilization will be significantly enhanced in the next five years and till the end of the 12th Five-Year Plan, the total transaction of technology contracts in the technology market is expected to be worth 800 billion Renminbi Yuan. Further intellectual property will be efficiently used in the development of strategic emerging industries and the upgrading of traditional industries.
The Plan also confirmed the increasing guiding role of intellectual property in science and technology innovation during the period of the 11th Five-Year Plan. There was a big increase of patent applications and grant for inventions with regard to key projects of national science and technology. Nevertheless, the IP system needs to be further utilized in its role of encouraging and promoting the science and technology innovation. Currently, the level and amount of independently-developed IP can hardly meet the requirement of economic and social development.
According to the Plan, during the period of the 12th Five-Year Plan, more work will be targeted at the improvement of IP policies, comprehensive establishment of IP management policies, enhancement of IP roles in encouraging innovation. It is expected that a certain amount of original IP will be created for some core technologies, and there will be at least 3.3 patent applications for invention per 10,000 people.
Additionally, IP protection and management will be part of science and technology activities and a mechanism of IP services will be established to support the independent innovation. Moreover, a platform of IP information targeted at the key areas of science and technology will be established and a professional team with the knowledge of IP management and services will also be trained.
