The Deputy Director of the Intellectual Property Office of the Central Highlands - Central Vietnam region (Office 3) is still promoting innovation through the establishment of intellectual property rights for new technical and technological solutions, acting as a "bridge" between scientists and businesses.
Through the advice and support of Office 3, many intellectual assets from creative activities in scientific research, production, and business in the Central Highlands - Central Vietnam region are protected. New technical solutions and technologies are recognized, intellectual property rights are established, or effective industrial property owners are transferred.
Creative Confidence
Working at the DTU Institute of Advanced Technology Research and Development, Dr. Nguyen Tan Khoa (born in 1987) was selected to attend training sessions organized by the Intellectual Property Office. This opportunity helped the young scientist to pay more attention to protecting intellectual assets in research. Currently, Khoa has successfully registered 3 useful solutions for recycling and improving various construction materials.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Thuy, Head of Office 3, trained in using intellectual property tools for intellectual assets in Da Nang
Since studying for a master's degree at Seajong University (South Korea), Tan Khoa has been known as the author of a useful solution for building houses with coconut leaves and won second prize in the Green Ideas competition organized by the Ministry of Education and Training, the General Department of Environment, and Toyota Vietnam.
With a prize of 250 million dong, the young man realized the idea of building a 48m2 house with 4 tons of coconut leaves to give to disadvantaged people in Ben Tre.
From discarded coconut leaves, Khoa researched the process of producing coconut leaf concrete. The components differ from traditional materials, with cement as the binder, sand occupying a small proportion, and treated coconut leaves making up the majority, mixed with water and additives in certain proportions.
"For more than 12 years since people moved into houses built from coconut leaves, every year we come back to check, but there are no signs of cracks or any problems," Khoa recalled.
Dr. Nguyen Tan Khoa, owner of 3 useful solutions for green construction materials
From the passion for scientific research and the hobby of wandering around, Tan Khoa desires to improve the weaknesses of traditional materials to protect the environment by recycling, using industrial waste, and reducing CO2 emissions in construction material production. He had to try hundreds of times to come up with one useful solution.
Recently, Tan Khoa successfully registered a useful solution for lightweight brick materials using geopolymers technology, used to build covering structures for civil and industrial construction projects.
The advantage of Khoa's useful solution is that the geopolymers concrete curing reaction occurs in an alkaline environment, combined with the use of alkali and lime in optimal proportions for aluminum powder to have the best foaming effect, thus ensuring economic efficiency and meeting mechanical criteria.
"Researching to create products, writing scientific papers is completely different from writing a summary for intellectual property registration. Besides the support from DTU, Office 3 always guides me to smoothly and with the least errors," Khoa said.
Geopolymers concrete pavement tiles using coal slag and fly ash from thermal power plants, a solution by Dr. Nguyen Tan Khoa
However, Dr. Nguyen Tan Khoa also believes that researching and registering useful solutions affirms his intellectual property assets is a plus point on the scientific research journey, while commercialization is a difficult journey.
Dr. Nguyen Tan Khoa recounted: "When they knew I was doing scientific research, the waste material sellers at Can Tho port didn't take money but enthusiastically helped, and advised me that when my research succeeded, I should share it so they could buy it. Research costs a lot of money and time, although there is support from the university, departments, but mainly it is self-reliance."
Many young startup businesses in Da Nang are supported by Office 3 to protect their creative achievements before starting their businesses. Mr. Tran Minh Thong, since he was a student majoring in Environmental Technology, has always had the ambition to research odor removal particles.
Initially, the Enso odor removal particle product was successfully researched, but the production scale was still small and manual, unable to meet commercial demand.
Enso Odor Removal Particle Product Da Nang introduced at the HCM City Press Association
After painstaking research from 2011 to 2023, Mr. Thong produced a series of odor removal particle products and officially initiated calls for investment and established the ENSO DANA Co., Ltd. - specializing in environmental solutions in Da Nang.
The ENSO Odor Removal Particle product line "eliminates" odors from the decomposition of organic matter in small spaces such as toilets, cars, refrigerators - freezers, shoe cabinets, bedrooms, kitchens, closets. The product is highly absorbent and resistant to mold growth.
Most of the odor removal products on the market are actually synthetic chemicals made into fragrant wax or gel, deceiving the olfactory senses. ENSO is a 100% natural odor removal solution, with product usage lasting from 12 to 18 months.
"During the process of consulting on registering a useful solution for the product, we received clear, specific, and enthusiastic guidance from Mr. Nguyen Minh Duc, a specialist and his colleagues from Office 3," Thong expressed.
Currently, the "ENSO Odor Removal Particle" product line has registered trademark intellectual property rights and barcode numbers.
Protecting and Promoting Creative Achievements
Office 3 is the unit responsible for managing the state's intellectual property and innovation in 14 provinces and cities, from Quang Binh to Khanh Hoa and the Central Highlands provinces.
To encourage and support innovative renewal in the area, Office 3 collaborates with many universities, research institutes, and researchers to identify intellectual assets created in creative activities to protect them as patents, useful solutions, or innovations.
"We directly support advising, giving opinions to perfect the establishment documents, maintain the transfer of industrial property owners. Moreover, the office coordinates and participates in the Council on management and exploitation of industrial property objects to maintain, promote the development of protected industrial property objects," Mrs. Nguyen Thi Thuy emphasized.
Office 3 provides training and support in the effective use of intellectual property tools
In the past 3 years, the number of industrial property registration applications submitted to the Intellectual Property Office has increased by about 10% compared to previous years. Among them, trademark registration applications are the most submitted type.
"Recently, many young people, groups of young people have stepped up to start innovative businesses. Some startups are based on their own intellectual property assets but have not been protected or startups on intellectual property assets purchased from others because they lack knowledge of intellectual property," Thuy said.
Many cases of grouping service product goods are not correct, causing the review time for applications to be prolonged, requiring the intellectual property specialists in Office 3 to be patient in guiding and resolving queries.
Most trademark and industrial design objects are being effectively exploited by businesses. Especially for patents/useful solutions in the Central Highlands - Central Vietnam region, commercialization still faces many difficulties as they are mainly generated from scientific tasks in schools, so they pay less attention to commercialization.
For example, the "ENSO Odor Removal Particle" product group is very new and completely different from similar product groups on the market, so the initial stage of approaching consumers is not high. Marketing costs, initial legal procedures for the product are difficult because they belong to a group that has not been classified, has no standards, and benchmarks.
"We are trying to complete the registration procedure for the useful solution to prove the effectiveness of the product and fight against counterfeits," Mr. Tran Minh Thong added.
Office 3 specialists provide legal advice on intellectual property at a job fair
In 2024, the theme of World Intellectual Property Day (April 26) is: "Intellectual Property and Sustainable Development Goals: Building a Common Future through Innovation and Creativity." From reality, Office 3 always aims for this goal, regularly connecting startup centers in the Central Highlands - Central Vietnam; supporting the construction and enhancement of the value of intellectual assets from creative activities.
To effectively exploit creative achievements, besides registering for protection, scientists in the Central Highlands - Central Vietnam region need the support of state policies for useful inventions/solutions, which are scientific tasks. Patent owners need to seek out brokerage units such as the Vietnam Invention Association or science and technology enterprises or startup centers to connect and exploit more efficiently.
(Media Center)