Is there any solution when researchers are unwilling, unable or even afraid to commercialize their innovations? Can enterprises find a fitting patent to commercialize? The Special Action Plan for Patent Commercialization and Utilization (2023-2025) was recently approved at an executive meeting of the China's State Council. Its general gist covers that as of 2025, a raft of high-value patents will realize commercialization; universities and research institutes will see their patent commercialization rates hike significantly and the total value of patent technology contracts nationwide will hit 800 billion yuan; a slew of enterprises potent in hardcore technology and loaded with solid patents can grow big and strong, IP edge in some key sectors may materialize at speed and the total value of evaluated and recorded patent-intense products shall exceed a trillion yuan.

　　The State Council Information Office held a State Council Policies Briefing and unveiled the Plan in Beijing recently. "The China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) has been earnestly boosting patent commercialization and utilization, and assisting the smooth and healthy development of the economy, which has harvested great results. In the same time, there still exist some lingering issues like low patent commercialization rate, insufficient compensation, dysfunctional mechanism, service mismatched with the actual need of enterprises and incomplete service system. The enactment of the Plan aims to wage a three-year special action, revolving around two aspects in upgrading patent quality and enhancing policy inspiration. There are measures for removing obstacles, spurring motivation and activating market to solve the quality issue of patent commercialization and utilization from the source, the innovator motivation issue and the market channel issue. Hopefully the efficiency of patent commercialization and utilization can be elevated to better boost the quality development of the economy," CNIPA Commissioner Shen Changyu elaborated.

　　Patent commercialization aims to serve the industry

　　The Plan highlights patent commercialization's role in serving the real economy. Some of the requirements are concentrating patent commercialization and utilization on serving the real economy and facilitating patent commercialization by rearranging the stock of patents owned by universities and research institutes and cultivating and promoting patent-intense products.

　　As of September 2023, Chinese universities were in possession of 767,000 invention patents while research institutes owned 220,000. The combination of their patents accounted for 25.3% of all valid invention patents owned by Chinese users. According to Shen, in an effort to advance patent commercialization and utilization at universities and research institutes, tasked by the Plan, the CNIPA will mobilize universities and research institutes nationwide to select those patents with potential market value, establish connections between sellers and buyers, promote a scheme covering application, follow-up and feedback and strive to blanket all their valid patents pending commercialization by the end of 2025.

　　Boosting patent commercialization and utilization, mining patent value to depth and developing patent-intense industry are a strategic task advancing high-quality development. "Recently, the CNIPA has sponsored the development of the National Patent-Intense Product Recordation and Evaluation Platform (Trial), formulated a collective standard to evaluate this sort of products from enterprises and commanded the recordation of patent products at local level. As of now, a total of over 28,000 patent products with a combined value of 3.5 trillion yuan from over 12,000 enterprises have been evaluated and recorded at the Platform, " CNIPA Deputy Commissioner Lu Pengqi revealed that the administration will strengthen coordination with relevant agencies, accelerate the evaluation of patent-intense products, improve the working system, add more support, and enhance demonstration and guidance to potently prop up the rapid construction of a modern industry system.

　　Empowering key sectors for robust and efficient growth

　　The Plan highlights taking advantage of the collective strength of the entire country and the sheer size of its market. Specific requirements include empowering IP of key sectors for robust and efficient growth, cultivating high-value patent portfolios, developing and operating patent pools of key sectors, and encouraging patent open source in cutting-edge technology sectors like the future industries.

　　Private tech SME is a major force for cultivating new development momentum and advancing high-quality development. The Plan lists "Using patent commercialization to boost SMEs' growth" as one of the key tasks. According to Shen, the CNIPA will work closely with other agencies to put it into action. In terms of stimulating technology supply, patent open license will be used to speed up patents of universities and research institutes to be transferred to SMEs for commercialization. In terms of financial aid, financing through pledging IPRs as collaterals will be enhanced to increase the size of loans and make financing more convenient. When it comes to service support, patent transfer service will be improved. Accurate matching of patent buyers (tech SMEs) and sellers will be made. A high- standard IP market system and a sound ecology for patent commercialization will be developed.

　　Strengthening patent commercialization and utilization is the inherent need for boosting high-quality development and an essential measure to advance the construction of an IP powerhouse country. Under the Plan's guidance, regions and agencies are expected to speed up drafting their own implementing agendas, bolster work coordination among them and facilitate transformation of innovations to actual productivity to the maximum extent.(by Wu Ke)

　　科研人员对创新成果“不愿转”“不会转”“不敢转”怎么办？企业能否找到合适专利进行转化？近日，《专利转化运用专项行动方案（2023—2025年）》（下称《方案》）由中国国务院常务会议审议通过。其中提出，到2025年，推动一批高价值专利实现产业化。高校和科研机构专利产业化率明显提高，全国涉及专利的技术合同成交额达到8000亿元。一批主攻硬科技、掌握好专利的企业成长壮大，重点产业领域知识产权竞争优势加速形成，备案认定的专利密集型产品产值超万亿元。

　　前不久，中国国务院新闻办公室在京举行国务院政策例行吹风会，介绍《方案》有关情况。“近年来，中国国家知识产权局大力促进专利转化运用，助力经济平稳健康发展，取得良好成效。但同时，仍然面临专利转化率偏低、激励不足、机制不畅、与企业需求结合不紧密、服务体系不健全等问题。这次《方案》的出台，旨在通过组织实施为期3年的专项行动，从提升专利质量和加强政策激励两方面发力，进一步打通堵点、激发动力、激活市场，切实解决专利转化运用的源头质量问题、主体动力问题、市场渠道问题，从而有效提升专利转化运用效益，更好助力经济高质量发展。”中国国家知识产权局局长申长雨在会上表示。

　　突出专利产业化导向

　　《方案》突出专利产业化导向和服务实体经济。其中要求，把专利转化运用的着力点和落脚点放在服务实体经济上，通过梳理盘活高校和科研机构存量专利、培育推广专利密集型产品等举措，促进专利产业化。

　　截至今年9月，中国高校有效发明专利拥有量达76.7万件，科研机构有效发明专利拥有量达22.0万件，合计占中国国内有效发明专利拥有量的25.3%。为进一步促进高校和科研机构专利转化运用，申长雨介绍，根据《方案》部署，中国国家知识产权局将动员全国高校和科研机构筛选具有潜在市场价值的专利，建立供需对接、推广应用和跟踪反馈机制，力争在2025年底前实现高校和科研机构未转化的有效专利全覆盖。

　　推动专利转化运用，充分挖掘专利价值，大力发展专利密集型产业，是推动高质量发展的一项战略任务。“近期，中国国家知识产权局支持建设了国家专利密集型产品备案认定试点平台，指导制定了《企业专利密集型产品评价方法》团体标准，组织各地企业开展专利产品备案工作。截至目前，试点平台审核通过备案专利产品2.8万余件，总产值近3.5万亿元，参与企业1.2万余家。”中国国家知识产权局副局长卢鹏起表示，接下来，中国国家知识产权局将加强与相关部门协同，加快推进专利密集型产品认定、完善工作体系、加大支持力度、强化示范引领，为加快建设现代化产业体系提供有力支撑。

　　推进重点产业强链增效

　　《方案》突出发挥新型举国体制优势和超大规模市场优势。其中要求，推进重点产业知识产权强链增效，培育高价值专利组合，建设运行重点产业专利池，面向未来产业等前沿技术领域鼓励探索专利开源等。

　　民营科技型中小企业是培育发展新动能、推动高质量发展的重要力量。《方案》将“以专利产业化促进科技型中小企业成长”作为重点任务加以部署。申长雨介绍，中国国家知识产权局将会同有关部门认真加以落实。在技术供给方面，通过专利开放许可等制度，促进高校科研机构专利加速向中小企业转移转化。在金融支持方面，加大知识产权质押融资服务力度，提升信贷规模和融资便利度。在服务支撑方面，完善专利权转让服务，开展专利转化运用服务与科技型中小企业精准对接，高标准建设知识产权市场体系，构建专利转化的良好生态等。

　　加强专利转化运用是推动高质量发展的内在需要，也是推进中国建设知识产权强国的应有之义。在《方案》的指引下，期待各地区、各有关部门加快制定落实方案，加强工作协同联动，最大限度促进创新成果向现实生产力转化。（吴珂）

（文章来源：中国知识产权报）

（编辑：晏如 责任编辑：吕可珂 审校：崔静思）