IPOPHL, PCCI open Alfredo M. Yao Awards 2021 for outstanding IPs

The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) and the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) are calling for innovators to join this year’s Alfredo M. Yao (AMY) Intellectual Property (IP) Awards, an annual joint event of IPOPHL and PCCI to recognize patented and patentable technologies that can contribute to economic development.

IPOPHL Director General Rowel S. Barba said the award’s relevance is heightened today as the country scrambles to find sources for economic recovery.

“Efforts to keep the wheels of innovation turning is IPOPHL’s contribution to attract investments, create jobs and build the society stronger,” Barba said.

IPOPHL and the PCCI encouraged entrepreneurs, professionals, researchers and students to join either as individuals or in groups, noting that non-disclosure agreements will be signed before pitching to ensure the protection of their innovations.

The AMY award is divided into two categories: collegiate for undergraduates and professional for post-graduate students, researchers and individual inventors.

Each level will name one winner with each to be rewarded with P100,000. Winners’ IP innovations will be showcased this November 17 at the 47th Philippine Business

Conference and Expo, one of the biggest annual business gatherings in the country.

“Winners of the Intellectual Property Awards also get to finetune their innovations as part of the contest’s support mechanism,” said PCCI IP Committee Chairman Anton Sayo.

Judges will vote based on readiness for commercialization (40%); uniqueness and originality of IP (20%); social impact (20%); and environmental impact (10%).

Entries will be accepted until September 30 to give enough time for evaluation before the slated announcement of the winners on October 25. (Bernie Cahiles-Magkilat)