More technology transfer officers of the country’s state universities and colleges (SUCs) will soon be able to protect technologies in the agriculture, aquatic, and natural resources (AANR) sector developed through research and development by their respective institutions.
This is being accomplished in the online Intellectual Property (IP) Master Class spearheaded by the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PCAARRD).
To adapt to the new normal, the original face-to-face training module was converted into an online learning format. The online training aims to capacitate technology transfer officers on IP protection, prosecution, and management up to the simulation of the qualifying exams for patent agents and actual online IP applications. Development of the online module was done in partnership with the Association of PAQE Professionals, Inc. (APP).
The four-month/five-module IP Master Class is the first training/mentoring module of its kind, tailor-fitted to Filipino researchers and technology transfer officers and ably handled by practicing and certified patent agents.
This is the third IP Master Class that the Council spearheaded. The graduates of the first two trainings have already filed more than 1,000 IP applications in the form of patents, utility models, industrial designs, copyrights, and trademarks from 2018-2019.
Thirty SUCs under the Support to the University's Strategies in Technology Acceleration Initiatives by Nurturing the Intellectual Property and Technology Business Management Offices of the Consortia Member Agencies - Phase 2 (SUSTAIN IP-TBM) program of DOST-PCAARRD collaborated with APP and the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) for the conduct of the IP Master Class.
3rd IP Master Class virtual launch
“Your helping hands are of great help in our advocacy to protect and commercialize the generated technologies from our R&D projects and in reaching almost the entire nation so that no technology will remain stuck in laboratories,” said DOST Undersecretary for R&D, Dr. Rowena Cristina L. Guevara during the virtual launch of the 3rd IP Master Class conducted on July 6, 2020.
The panel of speakers during the virtual launch included: PCAARRD Executive Director Reynaldo V. Ebora; Officer-In-Charge (OIC) - Deputy Executive Director for Research and Development Juanito T. Batalon; OIC Director of the Technology Transfer and Promotion Division Noel A. Catibog; APP President, Atty. Editha R. Hechanova; IPOPHL Director IV-DITTB, Atty. Mary Grace Cruz-Yap; Cavite State University (CvSU) President Hernando D. Robles; program leader Teddy F. Tepora of CvSU; and University of Southeastern Philippines (USeP) President Lourdes C. Generalao. It was also attended by 76 participants including SUC heads and staff of the participating agencies and five consortium directors. The training had an average of 250-275 live viewers and had reached 8,700 views recorded in Facebook.
IP Master Class modules
The first two modules—Introduction to IP Management and Prior Art Search, were conducted and led by the five regional mentor agencies—the CvSU, Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU), Bicol University (BU), Capiz State University (CapSU), and USeP. Module 3, which is about patent claim drafting, was led by the APP mentors and conducted in two batches—the Mechanical and Chemical groups, with 30 trainees per batch. Other APP members served as facilitators, while the regional mentors as coaches/co-facilitators in the training. Through the first three modules, the trainees were able to successfully draft quality claims for patenting local inventions.
The last two modules to be conducted this coming September and October will focus on building up the skills of the trainees on claim amendments, responding to formality and substantive examination reports, patent prosecution, and the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) route. The trainees are also expected to file online IP applications and undergo the mock exam for the patent agents.