UAE announces initiatives to enhance intellectual property protection for circular economy technologies and broader patent registrations

Aligning with the UAE’s broader vision of transitioning to a circular economy, the UAE’s Ministry of Economy unveiled at an organised media briefing earlier this year, a roadmap for ‘Green Intellectual Property’, intended to strengthen intellectual property protections for sustainable innovations and to promote environmentally friendly technologies within the UAE. The Green IP Roadmap will play an instrumental role in fostering innovation and creativity in sustainable sectors and consolidating the UAE’s standing in key global indices, in particular the Global Innovation Index, in which the UAE continues to maintain its regional and international pre-eminence. 

One of the key objectives under the Green IP Roadmap includes the implementation of an expedited patent registration program (between 3-6 months) for applications pertaining to environmental sustainability and green innovation, and thereby to increase the proportion of eco-friendly and sustainable inventions to 8% of patents filed nationwide across all industries. The Green IP Roadmap will also aim to bolster legal frameworks protecting environmental sustainability patents.

Furthermore, initiatives in the fields of water, solar, wind and ocean energy and other designated sustainable fields will be supported by the government as part of the initiative and will be open to UAE residents and educational and research institutes. The Ministry of Economy has announced its intention to forge partnerships with academia and research centres to protect the rights of eco-friendly projects and innovations.

In conjunction with the Green IP Roadmap the Ministry of Economy has launched the ‘Patent Hive’ initiative to boost the approval rate of patents, encourage innovation, and encourage innovators to submit patent applications. The initiative also aims to reduce registration expenses and to accelerate patent processing in order to generate significant increases in patent registrations in the UAE. Primary objectives of this initiative include reducing the time needed for patent registration from 42 months to 6 months, and increasing the number of registered patents from 4,481 to 6,000 by 2026.

The initiative will also target increased innovation among students by offering a range of incentives, including reduced registration fees for students and a zero-cost policy for young people under the age of 21. These measures aim to cultivate collaboration and integration among the UAE’s scientific research sectors, universities, and small-to medium-sized enterprises.

In an effort to develop the skills of the local workforce and raise awareness about IP, the Ministry of Economy will also provide training programs and technical consultations in collaboration with the World Intellectual Property Organization.

For further information relating to the above, please contact Melissa Murray or Alex Agababian.