Innovation and the Sustainable Development Goals

InterDigital CEO and President, Liren Chen, discusses SEP regulation in this letter to the editor of the Financial Times. The message is clear: regulators should tread carefully. In his convincing argument, Chen discusses why preserving a balance between innovators and implementers is key and advises the use of market based solutions.

Click here to read the letter.

Ahead of the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27), the EPO today launched a new Clean Energy platform designed to support researchers and decision-makers involved in the race for clean-energy technologies that contribute to the UN SDGs.

The platform provides an initial selection of some 60 ready-made smart patent information searches to help scientists, engineers and decision-makers find and build upon existing green tech solutions with greater ease.

Click here to read more.

The Green Technology Book was launched by WIPO at the recent COP27 summit in Sharm el-Sheikh. This resource presents a range of innovative green technologies that provide solutions to some of the ever-pressing climate change dangers. The solutions are organized in relation to three sectors, which are the focus of the book: agriculture and forestry, the water sector, and cities. Over 200 technologies are presented alongside information about how they can help climate change adaptation. The premise of the book is that while technologies cannot solve climate change on their own, they can make an important contribution.

For more detail see here: WIPO Green Technology Book

The World Health Organization reports that antimicrobial resistance records more deaths annually than road accidents and cancers combined. It not only threatens the loss of countless lives but also deals a blow to the economy and scientific community, possibly bringing us back to the pre-antibiotic era.

On the occasion of the World Antimicrobial Awareness Weak (18-24 November 2022), TechInvention hosted a webinar in association with  Emerging Biopharmaceutical Manufacturers Network (EBPMN) and the International Bacteriophage Research Consortium (IBRC), hosted by India Biotech Leaders of Tomorrow titled “Antimicrobial Resistance and One Health: Stakes Involved and Ways Forward,” an initiative with key opinion leaders (KOLs) of the industry. 

On September 12, 2022, President Biden signed the Executive Order on Advancing Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Innovation for a Sustainable, Safe, and Secure American Bioeconomy. The objective of the Executive Order is to “coordinate a whole-of-government approach to advance biotechnology and biomanufacturing towards innovative solutions in health, climate change, energy, food security, agriculture, supply chain resilience, and national and economic security.” The work undertaken pursuant to the Executive Order is referred to as the National Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Initiative (or, NBBI).

Read the full story here.

The WIPO Secretariat has compiled a selection of case studies and success stories obtained from various areas of WIPO, that showcase the use of IP rights by Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). They provide a comprehensive overview on how IP is used by entrepreneurs, inventors and creators, to add value to their products, support business growth, create employment and promote economic development.

These stories will be presented from the 17th to the 22nd of October during the Twenty-Ninth Session of the Committee on Development and Intellectual Property (CDIP).

Read the full story.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) became a technology partner to the global green-technology platform of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). WIPO GREEN is a public-private partnership established by WIPO in 2013. Its 145 international partners include major technology companies, intellectual property (IP) offices, business groups, research institutes, and nongovernmental organizations.

The USPTO’s contributions to WIPO GREEN include its own initiatives that are designed to address the challenge of climate change, including:

• The USPTO Climate Change Mitigation Pilot Program, which accelerates the examination of patent applications involving innovations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
• The soon-to-be-announced Patents for Humanity: Clean Energy Technologies awards competition, a green technology–focused version of the USPTO’s highly successful Patents for Humanity awards competition

Click here to read more.

A new EU Global Health Strategy (GHS) to be developed this year has been developed to ensure that the EU remains an effective and progressive global health player, delivering on its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and continuing its commitment to promote healthy lives and well-being for all. 

There are various opportunities to contribute to EU law-making as it evolves – from the preparation phase through to proposals for new laws and evaluations of how existing EU laws are performing. The Commission has invited stakeholders to share their views and ideas about the Global Health Strategy on the Have Your Say portal. 

You can learn more by watching the Global Health Policy Forum which allowed for interventions from stakeholders on how to develop the EU Global Health Strategy, or you can click here for more information.