IPOPHIL urges use of R&D service

Businesses, particularly small and medium enterprises (SMEs), are strongly urged to make use of IP Depot, an online platform developed by the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) to promote research and development (R&D) collaboration and showcase companies’ IP assets.

Allan Gepty, deputy director general of IPOPHL, said the IP Depot (www.ipdepotph.com) targets Filipino enterprises with scant R&D resources.

“Please use it,” Gepty said, noting the “very minimal traffic” to the site at present.

“This is one platform that I would like to see our universities and companies, both local and foreign, availing of in the next five or 10 years… as a platform where we can communicate,” said Gepty, who spoke recently at a business conference in Manila on IP protection and knowledge creation.

He said the platform is expected to serve not only as a window for IP commercialization but as “a trigger for the conduct of future research and development in various universities.”

He stressed that the platform is important because it can enable a company to innovate even without a formal R&D unit.

“In the past, the conventional methods or ways of coming up with new products is for you to establish your own research and development department or division. And then you will arm a scientist and perhaps a business development officer so that their output can be utilized for future businesses,” he said. “But with this platform, you can dispense with the creation of R&D or the hiring of your business development officer and scientist.”

He said a company can partner with universities that can do the research and innovation for it. “In other words, you are expanding your network. And this is a potential tool for local companies and they should utilize this because after partnership you can definitely work for commercialization,” said Gepty.

He said many companies overseas are engaging in such linkups. “In other countries, they have similar platforms. Some would just commercialize IP but some are opening the same for possible partnership because it’s cost effective and you are also generating a lot of ideas,” Gepty said.

The IP Depot was created as a digital platform for IP owners to promote their IP assets for commercialization. It was established so that people with patented inventions, registered trademarks, copyrights, and industrial designs have an avenue to showcase their IP assets to the world. /