Wanted: Robust IP regime to boost innovation

Gladdening the hearts of those long peeved over poor research output and patent filings from the country, despite huge Indian talent pool and a large number of higher educational institutions (HEIs),the country clocked a 13.6% year on year growth rate, the highest annual rise, in patent filings over the last decade. For the first time, in 2022, there were more patents filed by Indians with India Patent Office than foreign filers. The last fiscal saw India clock a big spike of 31.6 per cent in patent filings by resident applicants, again the highest for any country. In absolute terms, India stands at the sixth position in patent filings. China is at the top, followed by the US, Japan, South Korea and European Union.

The nation takes pride in the never-before-seen surge in scale of innovation, entrepreneurship and digitalisation activity in the country.The rise in patent applications in India demonstrate the rising innovative zeal of our youth and is a very positive sign for the times to come. PM Modi joined the nation in cheering our innovators and inventors out there. This coming after the devastating impact of Covid-19, deserves kudos by all, including skeptics. Years of strenuous efforts by government and private sector to usher in a sound intellectually thriving environment have paid off. There is an exuberance of creativity, driving India’s economy growth rates at record levels over a couple of years.

However, Indians have to face the reality – they still lag much behind their global peers. In 2020, the number of patents filed in India was 56,771, merely 4 per cent of China (14.97 lakh) and 9.5 per cent of US (5.97 lakh). Patents give a great fillip to innovation and protect rights over an intellectual property (invention) for as long as 20 years. The exclusive right to sale on patented products and services for a higher price drives innovation race among companies.At this juncture, a growing need is felt for greater inventor assistance programmes such as patent drafting and filing. Game-changing products or services are often born of a sound support system. It is said that market rewards execution, not the idea. For novice inventors, venture funding is of great help in turning their ideas into a successful enterprise. Of late, there has been a laxity on this funding front.The government should take urgent measures to buoy up the entire IP system, including meeting the staff shortage at its patent office, for more patent examiners and controllers. India also has issues with the US which placed it on priority watch list, along with China and Russia. It is a major trade barrier. Balancing international patent obligations and protecting socio-economic welfare and public health interests has been a major challenge for successive governments.

Education is the key to filling the IP knowledge gap. Indian HEIs, particularly at state-level, are struggling to meet growing expectations and contemporary challenges. They need curriculum reforms for employability, entrepreneurship and skills development. Addressing funding gaps, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, and leveraging international partnerships etc., is key to elevating the research culture in HEIs. India has just surpassed China with the highest number of universities in the QS Asia University Rankings. It has 148 universities in the list as against 133 in China. This shows India’s potential for scaling up is immense…We only need to unleash ourselves.