SMEs

On the occasion of the WTO TRIPS Council online side event focusing on the intersection of innovation, IP and sustainability – which will take place on March 9 at 16:00 – we are re-posting some resources about IC member Shiok Meats. Shiok Meats is a Singaporean company that produces cell-based crustacean meat. Shiok Meats plans to bring healthy, nutritious, environmentally-friendly and cruelty-free crustacean meat to tables everywhere in the coming years, disrupting the global shrimp market which is worth an estimated 40b USD annually. This month marks the one-year anniversary since the Singaporean innovators introduced their first shrimp dumpling. Shrimp grown from cells has several advantages over wild caught shrimp or shrimp raised through aquaculture – notably in relation to health, environment, and labor impacts – but further innovation is required to bring down production costs. This is the goal of the team at Shiok Meats over the next 2-3 years.

Read more:

Shiok Meats Raises $4.6 Million Seed Round To Develop Cell-Based Shrimp

How artificial shrimps could change the world

Singapore’s Shiok Meats hopes to hook diners with lab-grown shrimp

Could ‘labriculture’ be the future of food?

As the next generation of data-driven analytics gets underway and the need to deliver value from AI system outputs becomes more urgent, smaller players are eyeing up their chance to stake a claim in this multi-billion dollar landscape, which so far has been dominated by Big Tech. The author of this article explains the need to enhance IP protection beyond contractual rights to build controls and safeguards. Robust contracting and reinforcing the human element as an operational step will help to secure ownership through IP rights. This new space offers rich pickings – particularly for smaller, more agile players. The prizes will go to those best able to manouvere through the shifting web of IP, data protection, new data laws, new data governance laws, and new regulation, to claim a piece of the new AI bounty.

Read the full story. (behind paywall)

Two Singaporean business associations, the Association of Small and Medium Enterprises and the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, have welcomed the signing of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), and said they will help local small and medium enterprises tap into the opportunities provided by the agreement.

The RCEP was signed by the ten ASEAN states (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam), and five of their FTA partners—Australia, China, Japan, New Zealand, and South Korea. The 15 member countries account for 30% of the world’s population and 30% of global GDP, making it the world’s largest trade bloc.

The SME ecosystem needs more partnerships to encourage a favorable environment where SMEs can develop and reach their full potential in business. A new collaboration agreement between EUIPO and the International Network for Small and Medium Enterprises aims to do just that. This collaboration agreement enables both organizations to work in pursuit of a common goal, to foster growth and empower SMEs.

Shiok Meat’s finished product possesses the texture of ground shrimp and has already been tested to make shumai, the Cantonese dim sum mainstay with the yellow dumpling wrapper. But its applications are potentially manifold in Chinese-centric cuisine. Eventually, the company aims to move beyond ground shrimp meat to produce crab, lobster, and a structured deshelled shrimp. Read more.

The Swiss Triple Impact program aims to accelerate the contributions of Swiss businesses towards a more sustainable economy by mobilizing 3000 companies in Switzerland within 3 years to take action for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Seeding Labs helps equip scientists with the tools, training, and connections they need to be on the cutting edge of global discovery. They channel donations of equipment, time, and talent where they will have the greatest global impact. Their flagship program, Instrumental Access, makes affordable, high-quality laboratory equipment available to universities and research institutes in developing countries. All equipment is donated from donors’ surplus, overstock, or traded-in items. Instrumental Access has a strategic and rigorous process for screening applicants as well as equipment. After the equipment has been reallocated, Seeding Labs follows up on the equipment installation and use to solve unexpected issues and track the impact of the equipment.

These case studies demonstrate how the PCT has been used in the real world to promote innovation in both developed and developing countries.

A newly launched initiative in the United States – “Invent Together” – is an effort by universities, companies, organizations, and other stakeholders to collect data about the diversity gaps in invention and patenting, and to support public policy and other initiatives to close them. In particular, Invent Together aims to close the patent gaps for women, people of color, and low-income individuals. In doing so, the initiative aims to help close wage and wealth gaps, strengthen the U.S. economy, and develop new and different inventions. A focus of Invent Together is increasing the availability of data and research about the patent gaps.

Innovative SMEs are important drivers of economic growth, job creation, and innovation in every country.  These case studies from the EPO demonstrate how European SMEs, across sectors and countries, leverage IP rights for growth. It also highlights the challenges they face in securing, enforcing, and effectively managing their IP rights.