In pursuit to educate and train students, researchers and inventors on the importance of Intellectual Property Rights, Ifugao State University-Department of Research and Development through its project Intellectual Property-Technology Business Management (IP-TBM) held a two (2)-day Seminar-Workshop on IP Invention Spotting, Prior Art Search and Drafting at the Center for Foreign and Japan Studies, IFSU Lamut campus on February 7-8, 2020.

Resource speaker, Dr. Jonathan Winston L. Salvacion, Innovation and Technology Support Office (ITSO) Manager of Mapua University presented topics on the Basic Review of Patents and Utility Model Search, Novelty and Inventiveness and Spotting the Invention to the researchers, faculty, and Information and Technology and Computer Engineering students of the university.

Participants also presented their outputs after they have had workshops on Basic Drafting and Preparation of the Application.

The seminar-workshop is intended to inform students, researchers and inventors, on the importance of Utility Model, Patents, Copyrighting and the proper procedure on ownership that can be applied to products, programs/systems, and researches to protect it from being modified and acquired by other companies without the owners’knowledge.

Meanwhile, Dr. Moses B. Appoy, IP-TBM Project Leader, shared that the proposal of the Ifugao IP-TBM is one of the few fortunate proposals from 16 vying universities in the country that the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCAARRD) accepted and funded. The proposal aims to enhance the intellectual property and business management office and cater to any Intellectual property of the university for the enhancement of IP management.

IP-TBM will also be responsible for the processing and in helping the inventor to develop a write-up and follow-up the documents after submitting it to the proper agency. Other than that, the sustainability and commercialization of the products are also under the said project.

As of today, a total of 70 products have been submitted for the "Utility Model.” "IFSU-Bayah" was the first university product to go through the process.//by:Allen Jefrick Aquino