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Province promotes technology creation through support to protect original ideas In East China's Anhui province, the government and companies
are highlighting the role of intellectual property while pursuing
innovation-driven development. The province, which is to integrate economically with its neighboring
Yangtze River Delta－a powerhouse of China－has spared no efforts in
upgrading its technological strength. "IP can serve as an umbrella or a guard to protect technological
innovation," said Cheng Yin, director of the Anhui Intellectual Property
Bureau. Currently, the province is leading the country in terms of IP in the
fields of smart manufacturing, electronic information, biomedicine and
quantum communication. In early August, the China National Intellectual Property
Administration approved the setting up of an IP protection per in
Anhui. It focuses on new-generation information technology and advanced
equipment manufacturing industries. The invention patent examination cycle could be shortened from an
average 30 months to 10 months once the per is opened, according to
Cheng's bureau. "We will keep providing efficient services to companies," he added. Anhui has a pool of more than 6,800 IP specialists that have served
nearly 6,000 IT companies and more than 100 scientific and technological
research institutes in the province, Cheng noted. Chery is one of China's largest independent auto brands with a home
base in Wuhu of Anhui. It said it has invested 5-7 perp of the
company's annual sales in research and development since its
establishment 23 years ago. Over the years, the company has applied for 19,191 patents. Out of
this, 12,393 have been granted, including nearly 3,700 invention
patents, said Li Yongjie, IP department director of Chery Holdings. The automaker has removed the barriers of key technologies that were
once monopolized by foreign companies. This spans engines to gearboxes,
core spare parts to platform development and from traditional auto
technology to that of new energy vehicles, said Li. "We fully realized the importance of IP rights and set up a
comprehensive system that covers the full process from R&D,
production to marketing," he noted. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the total sales volume of new energy
vehicles in August rose more than 20 perp from one year ago,
according to company figures. Both domestic sales and exports of the company's vehicles registered
more than 20 perp growth year-on-year as well, the company said. Also based in Wuhu, CETC Wuhu Diamond Aircraft Manufacture has
developed several models of aircraft and sells them at home and abroad. The company, co-invested in by China Electronics Technology Group and
the Wuhu city government in 2013, aims to be a world leader in the
aviation industry. It has established an independent R&D system of
high-performance general aircraft based on models introduced from their
Austrian partners, according to the company. It has applied for 235 patents, including 122 invention patents,
company data showed. So far, 90 patents have been granted to it. "We have set up a system to award the innovative ideas of the
employees. We expect more projects with self-developed IP rights and
core competitiveness can be fostered in the future," said Zeng Rui, the
company's communications director. Anhui Yingliu Group, a company that produces spare parts for aircraft
engines, gas turbines, nuclear power station equipment and marine
equipment, has invested heavily in tackling key technological problems. "We have injected 1.6 billion yuan ($237.2 million) in R&D over
the past five years because we believe only sufficient input can
generate our own IP rights," said Ding Bangman, vice-president of
Yingliu Group. "It's easy to buy equipment, but very hard to solve the
technological problems and grasp the core technologies." One of their products is a reactor coolant pump, a key component used
in nuclear reactors to shield main pumps. It took the researchers five
years to work out and the work cost 80 million yuan, he said. "We are very proud we can make such a product. The company has
applied for more than 30 patents and all technologies are self
possessed," he noted.
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