University's IP institute to aid tech transfer

An institute for intellectual property management was established in the School of Management at Zhejiang University on March 23.

It will provide support for Chinese enterprises seeking international competition and boost the country's intellectual economy's development.

The move was the first time one of China's top business schools established an institute specializing in IP management education, training and research.

The number of patent applications and related research and development investment in China is rapidly growing, but scholars in IP studies in the country are mainly concentrated in the legal community, said experts from the university. Chinese economists and management specialists working in the field are very rare.

Chinese enterprises are still lagging behind those in Europe and America in terms of IP management, they said.

"In recent years, more Chinese companies looked to expand globally and participate in international competition, which has resulted in an inevitable need for a large number of IP management personnel," said Wu Xiaobo, dean of the school.

"In this regard, China's business schools will play a very important role in training."

The business school is based on China's private economy and has done exhaustive studies on China's private enterprises' management and development.

As China has entered into a new development stage where knowledge is an engine for economic development, the institute will also work to promote closer connections between universities, institutes and industries, said the dean.

Experts said technology transfer in universities and research organizations has long been a difficulty. Achievements of universities are insufficiently protected and developed, because scientific research personnel are not always in tune with business operations and lack a deep understanding of market demand.

Enterprises often want to develop more products with market competitiveness and cutting-edge technology using the skills of universities and research bodies, however, they often fail to find reliable scientific results with IP protection.

"IP has become a strategic resource and important competitive factor for the country's development, and an important prop to build up its innovation capacity. And during this process, universities and research institutions are playing an increasingly important role," said Shen Changyu, commissioner of the State Intellectual Property Office.

"So far, about 70 percent of the country's basic research and 50 percent of high and new technologies are finished in universities and research institutions," said Shen.

"But the outcomes of intellectual property among them are relatively less," he said, noting that more efforts should be made to boost technology transfer.

Wu Zhaohui, deputy president of Zhejiang University, said they "invested a large amount of funds in research over the past years and achieved a lot".

"Based on this, we are also working actively to commercialize the achievements. So far, we have established good partnerships with a number of enterprises," Wu added.

wanghongyi@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 03/25/2015 page17)