OZAMIZ CITY, Misamis Occidental (PIA)--To further enhance researchers’ capabilities in writing patent applications, a patent claims writeshop was conducted at La Salle University - Ozamiz recently.

40 researchers from various Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Misamis Occidental actively participated in the event.

The patent granting procedure and patent claim drafting were among the highlights during the writeshop. The participants worked on drafting their patent claims for their technologies which are to be submitted immediately to the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL). At the end of the 2-day writeshop, 12 utility model applications have been submitted.

Experts from the Bureau of Patents of the IPOPHL served as resource speakers. Rosa M. Fernandez shared the technologies related to the chemical field while Engr. Chamlette D. Garcia discussed matters from the Mechanical and Information and Communications Technology (ICT) field.

The participating researchers were from La Salle University (LSU), University of Science and Technology of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines (USTP)-Oroquieta, USTP-Panaon, and Northwestern Mindanao State College of Science and Technology (NMSCST).
Numerous research outputs are being generated in the HEIs in the province and it is of vital importance to protect the intellectual property of the researchers.

The Northern Mindanao Consortium for Industry, Energy, and Emerging Technology Research and Development (NorMinCIEERD) aims to help researchers in the region in managing their IPs through the Fostering Innovation for New Discoveries through IP (iFIND) Webinar Series Episode 3: Patent Specifications and Claims Drafting Writeshop.

This series covers the basics of IP management, conducting a prior art search using the necessary tools, drafting patent applications and claims, and even IP valuation. It is envisioned that this series will be conducted annually to help more of our researchers in the region in protecting their intellectual properties.

This initiative was initiated by NorMinCIEERD, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) region 10, the Philippine Council for Industry, Energy, and Emerging Technology Research and Development (PCIEERD), Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL), and La Salle University (LSU)-Ozamiz. (Jesther Marlou C. Orong)