Intellectual Property, Research and Innovation Forum kicks off

Sohar: The activities of the Forum for the Advancement of Intellectual Property, Research and Innovation in the Sultanate of Oman began today at Sohar University in North Al Batinah Governorate.

The forum is organized by the university in cooperation with the Ministry of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Innovation and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

The two-day event will continue. The event was sponsored by Her Excellency Dr. Rahma bint Ibrahim Al Mahrouqi, Minister of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Innovation, who stressed the importance of human creativity and innovation as the main drivers of the global economy, and that they are unlimited sources of strength if they are well exploited and directed towards national and global priorities.

Her Excellency added: Oman Vision 2040 and the lofty speeches of His Majesty the Sultan stressed the need to diversify the economy and sources of income through knowledge, technology and innovation, in addition to placing the digital economy as a basic and central pillar of our national economy, pointing to the role of the Ministry in promoting intellectual property and linking it to innovation, as the Ministry cooperated extensively with the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion in formulating the intellectual property strategy.

Her Excellency explained that the Ministry is working to promote intellectual property and help higher education institutions and their students understand it, as the Ministry and the Oman Academic Accreditation and Quality Assurance Authority for Higher Education Institutions are required to develop intellectual property policies to help their students and employees understand what it is and how they can apply for it, noting that the Ministry has established various programs that provide funding and training, including the Crowdfunding Program, the Strategic Research Funding Program, the Development Program, the Benefits Program, Technology Transfer Offices, Incubators, and Capacity Building Programs; to enhance value creation from innovative ideas.

For his part, Dr. Hamdan bin Sulaiman Al-Fazari, President of Sohar University, stressed the importance of the forum in highlighting the protection of intellectual property as a tool to enhance innovation and support researchers and innovators in the Sultanate of Oman, which helps in investing in intellectual property and transforming it into added value to support the national economy, noting that Oman Vision 2040 is based on higher education, research and innovation to enhance national capabilities.

Mohammed Abdul Raouf Badawi, Senior Advisor at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Academy, praised the efforts of the Sultanate of Oman in intellectual property and its connection to scientific research and innovation, in accordance with the efforts of various institutions concerned with protecting intellectual property at all levels, which supports the efforts of WIPO to support innovators and creators around the world, ensuring the safe transfer of their ideas to the market and improving the lives of people everywhere in the world.

The first day of the forum included the presentation of five working papers that addressed a number of topics on intellectual property, research and innovation, in addition to the signing of a number of joint agreements between Sohar University and the Indian Institute of Management, and the signing of a cooperation document between the university and each of the Environment Authority and Vale Oman Company, in addition to a memorandum of cooperation between the university and the Sultan Qaboos Maritime Academy.