Viet Nam will work to raise the quantity as well as quality of applications for inventions in the coming years, delegates said at a seminar in HCM City on Monday.

Nguyen Thi Thu Hien, head of the National Office of Intellectual Property’s information department, said that NOIP had received about 500-600 invention applications annually in recent years from Vietnamese individuals, enterprises, research institutes, universities and others, accounting for about 10 per cent of the total invention applications.

However, invention patents from Vietnamese accounted for only 6 per cent of total invention patents granted in Viet Nam, with the number of patents granted for inventions from individuals and businesses increasing significantly compared to those from universities and research institutes

Nguyen Thi Thanh Ha from NOIP said the number of Vietnamese invention applications had increased by 20.2 per cent in recent years, but it remained very modest compared to that in ASEAN countries.

In addition, the quality of invention applications was low as the majority of applications had not met requisite standards of an invention, only utility solution standards, she said.

Research and development activities at research institutes and universities was less effective because of a lack of awareness of or trust in benefits that IP protection can bring, in addition to inadequate rewards for inventors.

In addition, many people have an unclear understanding about invention application procedures, Hien said, adding that many inventors were afraid of leaking their technical secrets if they applied for patent.

Nguyen Quang Tuan, deputy director of the National Institute for Science and Technology Policy and Strategy Studies, said that technology transfer from science and technology organisations to businesses was very modest.

Most Vietnamese companies are small- and medium-sized, and even super-small (micro), and have low awareness about the role of intellectual property rights.

They also have limited financial capacity and technological capacity, and have no demand for buying patented inventions.

On the other hand, the number of Vietnamese patents was still modest, with many not fitting businesses’ demands, offering limited options for buyers, Hien said.

Ha said Viet Nam had set a target to increase the number of invention applications by 30 per cent per year on average in the 2020-30 period, with those from research institutes and universities to increase by more than 50 per cent.

Delegates at the seminar suggested measures to boost the transfer of patented inventions and encourage the creation of inventions.

This would include incentive policies on taxes, capital and insurance for transferees, and assistance in helping them choose the appropriate technologies.

To boost IP creation, the Government should give priority to sponsoring projects for developing invention patents, and subsidise fees for registering them in Viet Nam and abroad, Hien said.

Offering inventors appropriate rewards and supporting them in commercialising the invention would also be helpful, she added.

Training activities to raise awareness about IP rights at research institutes, universities and businesses are also important.

Similarity, Tuan said that Viet Nam needs to fully tap its policies on intellectual property and encourage businesses to pay more attention to the field.

Le Ngoc Lam, NOIP’s deputy director, said IP rights had long been known as an important driving force for socio-economic development.

IP protection gives inventors opportunities to increase their income and provides good momentum to continue innovation.

Under the impact of the fourth industrial revolution, many countries have focused on development of science and technology and innovation, and Viet Nam is no exception.

IP rights will become a tool that determines the competitive strength of technology for all stakeholders, so every organisation and business should find ways to create, acquire and own intellectual property, he said.

With support from the World Intellectual Property Organization, the NOIP is developing a National Intellectual Property Strategy to submit to the Prime Minister for approval. — VNS