Chinese SMEs Emerge Victorious in the First-Ever WIPO Global Awards

August 16, 2022

WIPO unveiled the winners of its first-ever Global Awards on July 19, 2022. Two of the five awardees come from China, showcasing the excellent performance of Chinese SMEs. Liu Hua, Director of WIPO Office in China, was invited for an interview with China Intellectual Property News, and the interview was published in the China Intellectual Property News on July 27, 2022.

Ms. Liu Hua was interviewed by the journalist of China Intellectual Property News.

The first-ever Global Awards of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) were recently handed out to five small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from the Netherlands, Singapore, China and Japan. Boasting two winners (Suzhou Raycan and Shanghai Shylon), China has made itself home to the largest number of winning companies. Why do Chinese SMEs perform so well? What are the "secrets" of Chinese innovators? In this regard, China Intellectual Property News interviewed Director of WIPO Office in China, member of the international jury and the winning SMEs to understand their innovation journey behind the scenes. 

Fresh Award, Global Selection

The first-ever Global Awards focused on SMEs – the backbone of the global economy – and recognized those that have used IP rights to develop commercial solutions that promote economic, social and cultural progress. “To ensure fairness, impartiality, preciseness and inclusiveness, WIPO appointed a diverse and independent international jury with regional representation. The jury was composed of seven experts from Peru, Nigeria, Jordan, China, the United States, Estonia and Singapore, representing technology, business, creative industries, government and civil society,” Liu said.

As a senior international cooperation expert in China, Dong Songgen, Vice President of China International Cooperation Association of SMEs (CICASME), was invited to serve as the jury member of this year’s WIPO Global Awards. “Since December 2021, the international jury had received 272 submissions spanning 62 countries. After more than half a year of rigorous selection, jurors selected 20 finalists, six of which are from China; two of the five winners are from China. Chinese SMEs has demonstrated their strength and became the spearhead of this Awards, both in terms of the number of nominees and the number of awardees,” Dong recalled.

 “In recent years, China has attached great importance to the development of SMEs. Relevant government agencies value the role of IP, not only providing tangible support in financing and guidance, but also supporting IP protection and utilization. Government assistance has enabled the scientific and technological innovation activities of SMEs to be more dynamic and robust,” Dong adds, SMEs are the most dynamic entities in China’s economic development. Authorities have continuously introduced effective policies and measures that encourage SMEs to use IP in market competition to build brands, secure rights and interests, thus ultimately unleashing the full strength of scientific and technological innovation in economic development.

Policy Support, High-Flying SMEs

 “The pandemic severely hit tourism, catering, transportation and many other sectors, but at the same time, global innovative and creative activities in sectors including biotech, telemedicine and mobile payment are flourishing. In particular, Chinese SMEs are among the top performers,” Liu said, in the era of mass entrepreneurship and innovation, the refinement of China’s IP system provides rich soil and nutrients for SMEs to innovate and develop.

Founded in 2009 and armed with new digital sampling technology based on independent research and development, Raycan has applied for and obtained over a hundred patents in the United States, Germany, Japan and other countries for its all-digital radiation detection and imaging technology. “As a ‘small but focused’ company, we have won a number of honors including the Gold Medal of WIPO-CNIPA Awards for Chinese Outstanding Patented Inventions,” Chen Fang, General Manager of Raycan introduced. Raycan is committed to sharing its inventions and innovations with relevant sectors through licensing, continuously exporting technologies and products backed by independent IP rights, and striving to become a national brand with international competitiveness.

Founded in 2010, Shylon is professional in the design, production and marketing of architectural lighting. Shylon has obtained more than 100 patents in totally LED technology, and is identified as “Technologically Advanced Small and Medium-sized Enterprises of 2021” by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China. “The company’s LED outdoor landscape lighting uses the self-developed ZOOMNEO algorithm auto focus technology, the high-precision spectral measurement testers, and color calibration algorithms, and has cleared many outstanding hurdles in the industry,” Wei Min, Shylon's General Manager for International Business, affirms the company's philosophy of R&D and innovation, low carbon emission and environmental friendly. IP protection has enabled the company to register long-term and stable growth.

 “Chinese SMEs have now become one of the most dynamic economic elements of China’s innovation-driven economy, and provide relentless impetus for China to set itself on a course to be innovation oriented,” Liu said, China's active participation in IP norm setting under the framework of WIPO has responded to the need of innovators to go overseas and the need of SMEs and other innovators by helping foster a business-friendly environment and provide policy assurances for their continuous R&D and innovation activities and for their engagement in international competition. 

The Chinese text of this article is sourced from the China Intellectual Property News (by journalist Li Duo).