The Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PCAARRD) will conduct the 4th Intellectual Property (IP) Master Class with 108 trainees from 54 State University and Colleges (SUCs) and Research and Development Institutes (RDIs).
Composed of five modules, the IP Master Class will focus on IP protection and management to be conducted for 15 days spread over three months (March to May 2022). The Association of Patent Agent Qualifying Examination (PAQE) Professionals, Inc. (APP), headed by Atty. Editha R. Hechanova, developed the training curriculum with PAQE’s pool of experts serving as resource persons and training facilitators for the whole duration of the Master Class. The training curriculum was developed in coordination with DOST-PCAARRD.
IP protection and management are crucial in protecting the technologies or inventions of a government institution. They also enable the inventors to manage the commercialization aspect of their invention. Moreover, DOST-PCAARRD believes that IP filings are also businesses and jobs waiting to be created.
APP is the only association of certified patent agents in the country and composed mainly of PAQE passers. It is administered by the European Patent Office and the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL).
The five-module Master Class will demonstrate the whole patent application flow through hands-on prior art searching, actual claim drafting (chemical and mechanical patenting), application filing, Formality Examination Reports (FERs) and Substantive Examination Reports (SERs) responding, conducting Freedom to Operate (FTO) towards Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) route, up to administering a mock exam for patent agent aspirants. Output presentations by the trainees will be the final activity of the Master Class. Each participating agency is expected to file at least one patent or utility model application during or after the training program.
The trainees are selected technology transfer officers from the implementing agencies of the recently approved program, “Regional Agri-Aqua Innovation System Enhancement (RAISE) Program.” This will involve 54 SUCs and RDIs from Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), Ilocos, Southern Tagalog, Bicol, Western Visayas, Eastern Visayas, and Southern Mindanao. The seven regional programs shall be implemented for two years, from January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2023; with a total budget of P193 million.
The 121 graduates of the past three batches of IP Master Classes from 2018 to 2021 have already filed a total of 2,246 IP applications -- 284 patents, 779 utility models, 126 industrial designs, 119 trademarks, 935 copyrights, and 3 patents through PCT route. The 4th IP Master Class is the first part of a series of capacity-building activities under the RAISE Program, Technology Commercialization Mentorship Series (TCMS), Agri-business Master Class (ABMC), and Technology Promotion Mentorship Series (TPMS).