Chinese Government Delegation from Guangzhou

Chinese Government Delegation from Guangzhou

National Intellectual Property Operating Platform and Talent Development Programme

27 October – 7 November 2014

Singapore

A group of 20 senior government officials from the Guangzhou Development District (GDD) of China attended a 2-week customised Intellectual Property (IP) Training Programme organised by the IP Academy of Singapore from 27 October to 7 November 2014.

This training programme is the result of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed between the Sino-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City Administrative committee (KCAC) and the Intellectual Property Academy of Singapore, which will cooperate in areas such as intellectual property awareness, capacity-building and training. This may include joint organization of IP study sessions and seminars; IP training for officials, private industries and the public; exchange of research, information and educational materials.

The programme focused on promoting and increasing knowledge and capabilities in the fields of Intellectual Property Protection, exploitation and management IP rights protection and also its importance for economic growth and development at both the national and organisation levels. The learning objectives were achieved through lectures from Singapore government agencies, IP experts and academics, as well as through site visits and sharing sessions with IP-related organisations.

In February this year, Executive Director of IPA and Deputy Chief Executive of IPOS, Ms Chiam Lu Lin, led a delegation from IPA and IPOS to meet with officers of the Guangdong IP Office headed by its Chief Executive, Mr Ma Xianmin. The parties discussed IP trends and ways to strengthen personnel training in IP, technological transactions, IP valuation and cooperative efforts to protect public services. Ms Chiam delivered a presentation at an Intellectual Property Rights training seminar attended by 260 participants from government departments and enterprises where Dr. Jack Cheng, Senior Assistant Director of IPA, also gave an overview of the IP landscape of China and Asia. More recently in September, Dr. Cheng was again invited to speak at the Sino-Singapore Knowledge Forum 2014 to an audience of more than 700 Chinese public officials and private sector leaders.

Ms Chiam said, “The IP Academy is proud to partner KCAC to organise this two-week training programme for the GDD senior officials. We are confident that the two-week IP training programme provided a valuable learning experience for the senior officials from Guangzhou to acquire a good understanding of Singapore’s framework for the protection and commercialisation of IP rights. Through this programme, we hope to build our expertise and gain a foothold in the Chinese market for specialised IP programmes. We look forward to working with KCAC on future collaboration for customised training.”

Mr Ang Boon Peng, Vice President of Strategic Collaboration, Sino-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City Investment and Development Co., Ltd commented, “It is a privilege to partner with IP Academy to deliver this inaugural IP training for government officials of GDD. IP Academy have put together a very comprehensive programme and their professionalism and dedication have been exemplary. There was a variety of lecturers ranging from policy makers to academia and researchers to industry practioners, which provided valuable insights into the overall IP eco-system of Singapore. The recent MOU signing between IPOS and State Intellectual Property Office of China (SIPO) at Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC) on 27 October 2014 has further elevated our strategic partnership to a higher level. With the full support from both governments, we look forward to many more trainings and collaborations with IP Academy at Sino-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City.”

Quotes from the GDD participants:

“This IP training programme has provided GDD delegates a valuable opportunity to learn about the Singapore experience in managing IP and developing the IP ecosystem. The various site visits to IP-related agencies complimented the classroom lectures greatly to enrich our learning process during the two weeks programme. IP Academy has done an excellent job in organising this very impactful training for us.”

- Mr Chen Xiaohua, Director

Guangzhou Development District Human Resources and Social Security Bureau

“This is an intensive and broad-based training programme that has deepened my understanding and appreciation of IP issues. I value the practical insights gained from the open discussions and informative sharing by the IP experts. The programme is very well planned and curated to meet our specific requirements.”

- Mdm Tang Ping, Vice Minister

Guangzhou Development District Organisation Department

“The instructors were very knowledgeable in the IP subject and shared interesting case studies to help illustrate the challenging issues that we could face in the knowledge-based economy. I find this an excellent programme for us to acquire relevant IP expertise.”

- Mr Xu Hui, Deputy Director

Sino-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City Collaboration Office

Sino-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City Administrative Committee

The Sino-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City Administrative Committee (KCAC) is established by the Guangzhou Municipal Government in end December 2010. KCAC is given province-level economic management authority, and entrusted with responsibilities in the formulation and implementation of economic and social development plans for GKC, administration of land use rights and construction permits, undertaking infrastructure works and environment protection in the GKC.

Guangzhou Development District Administrative Committee

Guangzhou Development District (GDD) was established in 1984 and is one of the first state-level economic and development zones. It is situated in the east of Guangzhou at the heart of the Pearl River Delta and is the entrance into further eastern development. GDD is one of China’s most competitive development zones and has been named the national model development zone. It has gathered approximately 6000 local and foreign enterprises, among them 111 Fortune 500 companies and approximately 1300 high-tech enterprises.

IP Academy (Singapore)

The IP Academy (Singapore) is the training arm and a member of the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore. It is a national initiative dedicated to the deepening and broadening of Singapore’s knowledge and capabilities in IP protection, exploitation and management. Given the value and importance of intellectual assets and creativity as primary sources of wealth and competitive advantage, the IP Academy aims to build a thriving culture that encourages the management and harnessing of innovation, and the resultant IP rights for the achievement of success in this global, knowledge-driven economy.