IPOPHL expands university partnerships in Cagayan Valley
October 15, 2024
Four universities in Cagayan Valley have joined the Innovation and Technology Support Offices (ITSO) Program of the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL), providing the region’s academic community expanded access to intellectual property (IP) services.
On Oct. 9, 2024 at the Cagayan State University (CSU) in Tuguegarao City, the CSU, University of Saint Louis (USL), Quirino State University (QSU) and Saint Mary’s University (SMU) signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with IPOPHL, a ceremony that forms part of the IP Convention during which IPOPHL launched the IP Regional Development Plan for the Cagayan Valley.
With the signing, the universities join the region’s existing ITSO members, namely the Isabela State University (ISU) and the Nueva Vizcaya State University (NVSU), bringing the total ITSOs in the region to six and total members nationwide to 95.
As ITSO partners, the four institutions would undergo training to strengthen their competence in providing assistance to their researchers, faculty and students and external clients—such as institutional partners, commercial entities and non-ITSO universities—in safeguarding and commercializing their IP assets.
Particularly, ITSO host institutions will assist in prior art search, patent drafting and filing of IP assets with the aim of increasing their innovative outputs.
To maximize the potential of inventions created with the aid of the university’s resources, these institutions will develop clear IP policies outlining ownership and revenue-sharing guidelines.
The new ITSO partners also commit to raise awareness about IP respect and promote IP protection and commercialization in their respective universities and across the Cagayan Valley region.
IPOPHL Director General Rowel S. Barba lauded the CSU, USL, QSU and SMU for their commitment to foster their innovation environment by strengthening their IP culture.
“When individuals understand intellectual property (IP) and its significance, they could establish a sense of empathy and accountability that deters them from infringing on others’ hard work. And by creating a respectful atmosphere for all creators and innovators, we create an environment that enables innovators and creators to produce outputs that could freeflow its benefits into communities and industries, assured that the products of their hard work will benefit them and the people they are intended to serve,” Barba added.
The ITSO Program is IPOPHL’s flagship program to foster an IP culture in universities, colleges and research institutions and help accelerate their innovation performance. # # # (Janina Lim, Information Officer III)