THE ATENEO de Manila University received its third Platinum Award from the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines.

Through the Ateneo Intellectual Property Office, the award was given last week during the ITSO Presidents’ Summit and General Assembly with the theme “ITSO: Celebrating Collaboration, Cultivating Innovation.”

“AIPO continues to provide support to innovators in the country through various collaborative efforts and programs that help strengthen the capacities of their clients,” Ateneo said.

“This award proves to be a good indication of realizing its vision to be the country’s leading university hub where innovative solutions are inspired, protected, and made available for society’s benefit,” it added.

The Platinum award is the highest distinction accorded by the IPOPHL exclusively to the country’s top and high-performing Innovation and Technology Support Offices under the ITSO 2.0 Clustering Program.

More than 240 participants from 75 ITSO members from various higher education institutions and research and development institutes came together for a day of collaboration and innovation.

The main objective of this year’s summit is to recognize ITSO members who successfully fulfilled the requirements and deliverables for ITSO clustering in 2023.

The event also provided the revised ITSO clustering implementation, with the overarching goal of empowering ITSO members to achieve greater innovation and impact in their research and development pursuits.

To qualify for the Platinum category, an ITSO must achieve the following within a single calendar year:

• Draft and file a minimum of seven (7) invention patents, while also successfully commercializing a technology or creative product.

• Deliver at least 24 patent search services to clients.

• Organize 12 IP awareness campaigns.

• Conduct 2 workshops on patent search and drafting.

According to the IPOPHL, filings from the ITSOs totaled 1,922 in 2023, a 51% increase from 2022.