The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) recently signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the Filipino Inventors Federation, Inc. (FILINFED) to strengthen support for the country’s innovators.
IPOPHL director-general Rowel Barba said the partnership underscores the office’s “shared commitment in fostering innovation and supporting inventors in their journey to bring their groundbreaking ideas to fruition.”
By working closely with FILINFED, IPOPHL aims to address challenges inventors face in protecting, enforcing, and commercializing their intellectual property (IP) assets.
The collaboration seeks to improve the Philippines’ standing in the Global Innovation Index (GII), where it ranked 56th in 2023. The country aims to reach the 25th spot by 2040, as envisioned in the National Innovation Agenda and Strategy Document 2023-2032.
Deputy director-general Anne Claire Cabochan expressed hope that the collaboration will improve the country’s GII scores, particularly in innovation linkages under business sophistication and knowledge creation.
FILINFED president Archie Melano welcomed the partnership, emphasizing the importance of registering inventions for eligibility in Department of Science and Technology (DOST) programs and tax incentives under Republic Act 7549, the Inventors and Invention Incentives Law.
“We hope next year when we meet for our annual dialogue, the majority of us in our federation are doing well in business. Our group wants to raise the quality of inventions and innovations into well-applauded Likhang Pinas technologies― products and processes that not just embody Filipino ingenuity but also use resources that protect the environment and uplift the poorest of the poor,” said NIC academe representative Ria Liza Canlas.
Under the MOA, IPOPHL commits to providing, among other activities, advanced training to help FILINFED members navigate the IP registration process for a smoother and faster experience.
The agency, as an ex-officio member of the National Innovation Council, also pledges to facilitate relevant connections within the innovation community for FILINFED.
FILINFED, in turn, commits to actively participating in IPOPHL-led programs and initiatives to promote IP awareness and help the Philippines climb the GII rankings. The group will also support IPOPHL’s bid for designation as a competent international searching and preliminary examining authority (ISA/IPEA).
Established in 1998, FILINFED is an umbrella group representing over 2,000 inventors from 15 inventor organizations nationwide.