Singapore joins the IAP to Support the Next Generation of Inventors

Today, the IP Office of Singapore (IPOS) and WIPO launched the Inventor Assistance Program (IAP) in Singapore. The Program benefits the next generation of inventors, focusing on young innovators starting their intellectual property journey.

Singapore becomes the eighth participating country in the IAP, joining Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Morocco, Peru, the Philippines and South Africa. The Program supports inventors and small businesses with limited resources transform their innovation into commercial assets. It matches innovators with a volunteer patent attorney or agent who helps them navigate the patent system at no cost. The IAP benefits from a global network of volunteers that provide patent drafting and prosecution services to beneficiaries in their own country and beyond.

Singaporean inventors already benefit from a strong innovation ecosystem.  In 2022, the Global Innovation Index places Singapore as one of the top 10 innovative economies. Many local inventors apply for patents to secure protection for their ideas.  Some ideas though, never receive protection.  IPOS realized that a number of local inventors give up early, when faced with the formal aspects of the process.

"We’re very happy to launch the Singapore chapter of WIPO’s IAP," said IPOS Chief Executive, Mrs. Rena Lee. "We hope this will make it easier for youth innovators to protect their inventions and help them recognize the importance of protecting and commercializing their IP. IP protection should be accessible to every creator and inventor, and this is part of our ongoing efforts to enable innovators at every level.”

The IAP levels the playing field for individual inventors and small businesses. According to Marco Alemán, Assistant Director General, IP and Innovation Ecosystems Sector at WIPO, “The driving force behind the program is that every innovator deserves a chance to have their idea protected. Singapore's program puts an emphasis on the next generation of young innovators and entrepreneurs, poised to solve the biggest challenges of tomorrow. With the IP professionals available through its global network of volunteers, the IAP positions them to transform their ideas into commercial assets and their dreams into reality.”

“Empowering young people to protect what they create can be the key to solving tomorrow’s challenges.  What these innovators create will change how we interact with our environment, bring us closer together, make us healthier, and entertain us”, said IAP Steering Committee Member Audrey Yap.

The launch of the Inventor Assistance Program in Singapore creates an opportunity for youth to innovate the future they want.

Want to learn more about the Inventor Assistance Program (IAP)?

Visit the IAP Online Platform to learn more about how to become an IAP beneficiary or volunteer, or to find more information on the Program.