On April 26, 2021, the 21st World Intellectual Property Day, Macau Intellectual Property Service Centre and Hengqin International Intellectual Property Exchange Centre signed a cooperation agreement. To support Macau’s appropriate economic diversification and promote industrial development via intellectual property for innovation entities in Hengqin and Macau, Ms. Chao Xi Chen, University Librarian of MUST and Director of Macau Intellectual Property Service Centre, and Mr. Ji Jie, General Manager of Hengqin International Intellectual Property Exchange Centre, signed an agreement to jointly establish the Hengqin-Macau Intellectual Property Public Service Platform (the Platform). The signing was witnessed by Mr. Wu Chuangwei, Deputy Director of the Administrative Committee of Hengqin New District, Ms. Zheng Xiaomin, Head of the Intellectual Property Department of the Macao Economic and Technological Development Bureau, Mr. Si Ka Lun, President of the Guangdong-Macao General Union of Industry and Commerce, and other officiating guests from Macau and Zhuhai.
Mr. Ji Jie (left) and Ms. Chao Xi Chen (right) signed the agreement
Ms. Zhao interviewed by the media
The Platform will focus on the development of services including intellectual property big data retrieval, IP cultivation, commercialization, rights protection assistance, training, industrial alliances, patent pools, and IPTM time stamps. It will build an IP-driven model linking government and enterprises as well as enterprises across Hengqin and Macau.
Upon completion, the Platform will help Macau institutions enhance innovation and technology transfer, supporting the formation of an appropriately diversified and competitive industrial structure. Leveraging Macau’s institutional advantages under “One Country, Two Systems” and its location as a hub between East and West, the Platform will provide IP support for Greater Bay Area innovators to access the EU, countries along the Belt and Road, and especially Portuguese-speaking countries via Macau.
Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST) has long emphasized industrial innovation and IP protection, with more than 300 patents — the largest number among Macau’s universities — and multiple projects achieving technology transfer through IP. MUST houses the Macau Intellectual Property Research Centre and Macau Intellectual Property Service Centre, offering comprehensive capabilities in IP education, research, practice and commercialization. The Hengqin-Macau Intellectual Property Public Service Platform represents a new step in technology transfer and IP services. MUST will continue to serve local innovators and support Macau’s appropriate economic diversification.
Established in 2019, the Macau Intellectual Property Service Centre at MUST supports collaborative innovation, strengthens IP protection and management, and promotes technology transfer. It serves MUST faculty and students, as well as other higher education institutions, enterprises and the public in Macau. The Centre aims to become a high-impact IP service hub in Macau and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
