Patenting rate grows by seven times in less than three months

UAE, January 30, 2017

The UAE government announced that the  team of the ‘Government Accelerators’ program, composed of the Ministry of Economy, the ICT Development Fund (ICT-DF), the Takamul program, the United Arab Emirates University and a number of government and private agencies, has exceeded the target that was set at the launch of the Government Accelerators.  It was able to increase its applications for patents registration by seven times the levels recorded last year, in just 70 days from the launch of the government Accelerators. It also received 27 more requests from independent inventors, universities, private sector companies and government-owned entities.

This achievement is of major significance not only because  it exceeded the initial goal of hitting five times last year’s rate over a span of 100 days as set by the Accelerators program, but also because it  marks a vital step towards improving the UAE’s position as a regional and global intellectual property hub.

In order to sustain its successes and accelerate growth in patent registrations, the Ministry of Economy signed today an agreement with the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) represented by the ICT-DF for the Authority to finance the registration of additional 200 patents in the areas of information and communications technology.  The agreement will address important funding challenges and provide support for innovators who wish to patent their work in the state record.

The Ministry also signed today  a Memorandum of Understanding with the Department of Economic Development - Abu Dhabi supporting the Takamul program to increase the registration of patents in the state. The program finances nearly 60 patents a year, which the Ministry aims to bring up to 200 applications by providing funding for the program’s partners. The two sides agreed to cooperate on spreading more awareness on intellectual property and enhancing communication with inventors and innovators, universities and research centers, and various agencies and institutions to broaden contributions to patent registrations.

The signing ceremony took place at the Government Accelerators in Dubai and was attended by H.E. Eng. Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansoori, Minister of Economy; H.E. Eng. Mohammed Ahmed Bin Abdulaziz Al-Shehhi, the Ministry’s Undersecretary for Economic Affairs; Dr. Abdul Qader Ibrahim Khayat, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the ICT Development Fund; H.E. Hamad Obaid Al Mansoori, Director General of TRA; and H.E. Khalifa Bin Salem Al Mansouri, Acting Undersecretary for the Department of Economic Development - Abu Dhabi. H.E. Abdulla Sultan Alfan Alshamsi, Assistant Undersecretary for Industrial Affairs, Ministry of Economy and Ali Ibrahim Al Hosani, Assistant Under-Secretary for Intellectual Property sector.

H.E. Eng. Sultan Al Mansoori said that the increase in patent applications in the state to more than 7 times last year’s rate represents the practical implementation of the directives of the wise leadership to make innovation a key driver for comprehensive and sustainable development. He explained that the accomplishment is an important leap in government-led efforts to build a competitive knowledge-based economy led by qualified, creative and empowered Nationals.

The Minister emphasized that the continuation of the development path in the field of patents provides the appropriate environment for encouraging inventors, supporting creative minds, and helping the local business community to use innovation to drive economic growth and improve the quality of life and prosperity of society. He said that this promotes the leadership of the UAE in the field of intellectual rights and makes it a preferred destination for innovation and creativity. He added that this speeds up the fulfillment of conditions for sustainability and lays the foundations for a productive economy.

The Minister added that the new achievement is the result of concerted national efforts by the government teams entrusted with increasing the number of patents registered in the country under the Government Accelerators program which he said provides an ideal and dynamic platform for government action. He noted that the accelerators help upgrade performance and expand achievements in support of efforts to achieve government targets and indicators established in the National Agenda for 2021.

H.E. further clarified that the Ministry’s success in achieving its two associated Accelerators goals – establishing a legal system for venture capital funds and increasing the number of patents in record time – reflect the values of leadership and excellence the Ministry adheres to in performing its duties and carrying out its pivotal central role in achieving sustainable growth in the UAE and upgrading the country’s status regionally and globally. The Minister thanked the Ministry’s partners for their support, particularly the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA), the Takamul Program affiliated with the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development, UAE University, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), and Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA).

For his part, H.E. Ali Majed Al Mansouri, Head of the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development, emphasized the Emirate of Abu Dhabi’s commitment to fulfilling its wise leadership’s directives for establishing a sustainable, diversified, and knowledge-based economy by supporting efforts aimed at enhancing the roles of inventors and innovators in Abu Dhabi’s economic system.

He added that the joint cooperation agreement between the DED-Abu Dhabi, the Ministry, and the ICT-DF, will contribute to further encouraging inventors and innovators in the UAE, particularly legal professionals, companies and institutions and their move towards registering their patents and conducting their respective feasibility studies.

For his part, H.E. Eng. Al Shehhi said that the UAE’s intellectual property sector has undergone a series of developments and achievements particularly in the field of patents, the most recent of which were the opening of the International Centre for Patents Registration in the Ministry of Economy.

H.E. Al Shehhi further emphasized that the signing of agreements with the TRA’s ICT-DF for the development of the telecommunications sector and with the Takamul Programe under the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development will significantly advance the sustainable development of the field of patents. He said that the agreements will enable the Ministry to ramp up its efforts to develop the intellectual property sector and deepen awareness on the latter’s role in driving development based on innovation and the knowledge economy.

For his part, H.E Khalifa Bin Salem Al Mansouri, Acting Undersecretary for the Department of Economic Development - Abu Dhabi, emphasized the importance of his organization’s agreement with the Ministry in driving the economic agenda of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi to achieve a sustainable, balanced, diversified and knowledge-based economy. He noted that innovators are important stakeholders that his Department focuses on as part of its duty of developing and protecting intellectual property rights. He referred to the "Takamul" program which supports the entire process of innovation, from the process of generating ideas to coming up with practical applications, to introduce innovative products and services that benefit the economy and society.

H.E. Dr. Abdul Qader Ibrahim Khayat, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the ICT Development Fund, said: “The Fund is a key partner in the government accelerators project, and we are working in coordination with several government entities to quicken the achievement of targets related to information and communications technology in line with the vision of the wise leadership. We consider enabling young national competencies and urging them to provide creative and innovative ideas a national responsibility and a strategic objective.

From his side, H.E. Hamad Obaid Al Mansouri, Director General of the Telecommunications Regulation Authority (TRA), said that the launching of the government accelerators marked a major milestone in terms of government entities’ approach to implementing their executive plans and achieving targeted achievement rates and national goals in a short span of time

H.E. Hamad Al Mansoori added that the agreement with the Ministry of Economy confirms the pivotal role of the Authority in supporting innovation in various fields, enhancing inventors’ efforts, and supporting leading and creative people in the UAE.

On the other hand, H.E. Abdulla Sultan Alfan Alshamsi, Assistant Undersecretary for Industrial Affairs, Ministry of Economy, said that increasing the speed of patent processing within the target framework of the first batch of the Government Accelerating Program is a leading step towards providing a simulative and attractive environment for innovation and creativity that will positively reflect on raising the rate of patent application registrations in the country.

His Excellency emphasized that sustaining the current pace in cooperation with the concerned authorities as embodied by the agreements signed by the Ministry of Economy with the ICT-DF and the Takamul program is an important factor in raising the country’s rating within the Global Innovation Index.

For his part, H.E Dr. Mohammed Al Bili, Director, UAE University, emphasized that the participation of the school with its 14 patents out of the 27 projects within the Government Accelerators program, effectively contributes to increasing the number of patents registered in the UAE during a short period of time. The move supports the global innovation index of the state, enhances the UAE’s global position in the field of manufacturing the future and supports the country’s vital and priority sectors.

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© Press Release 2017