Chongqing Vigorously Promotes Intellectual Property Quality Enhancement and Transformation Value-Added of Patent-Intensive Industries Rises to 12.2% of GDP

On September 24, the Information Office of Chongqing Municipal People's Government held the tenth press conference in the series themed "High-Quality Completion of the 14th Five-Year Plan: Writing a Chongqing Chapter of Chinese Path to Modernization." The conference highlighted the achievements in building Chongqing into a modern intellectual property hub during the 14th Five-Year Plan period.

He Dawei, Director of Chongqing Intellectual Property Office, stated that over the past five years, Chongqing has vigorously promoted the quality improvement and transformation of intellectual property. Focusing on the "33618" modern manufacturing cluster system and the "416" technology innovation strategy layout, the municipality has implemented a series of high-value patent cultivation projects. As a result, the proportion of value-added from patent-intensive industries in GDP has increased from 9.8% in 2020 to 12.2%.

Nationwide pioneering of "Notarized Reward Evidence Collection System"

During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, Chongqing strengthened its comprehensive intellectual property protection framework. The revised Regulations on the Promotion and Protection of Patents in Chongqing, enacted in 2023, introduced the "Notarized Reward Evidence Collection System" for the first time in local legislation nationwide. Under this system, businesses facing counterfeiting challenges but struggling to gather evidence can issue rewards through notary agencies. Individuals providing valid infringement evidence are eligible for rewards.

Concurrently, Chongqing established a "Patent Non-Infringement Determination Ruling" mechanism. If a company is accused of patent infringement, it may proactively request a ruling from relevant authorities, accelerating dispute resolution. This institutional innovation has been adopted and promoted at the national level.

This year, Chongqing introduced its first comprehensive local regulation in the intellectual property field, the Regulations on the Protection and Promotion of Intellectual Property Rights of Chongqing, enabling innovation entities to tangibly experience that "innovation follows clear rules, and development has a clear direction."

Chongqing accelerated the development of major intellectual property protection platforms, with a national-level intellectual property protection center approved and established. To date, the center has provided patent pre-examination services for 381 innovation entities. The average examination cycle for invention patents in Chongqing's new-generation information technology and biological industries has been shortened from 16 months to less than 6 months.

According to the intellectual property protection social satisfaction survey released by the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA), Chongqing's social satisfaction score increased from 80.94 in 2020 to 82.43, ranking second in western China.

Intellectual property pledge financing nears RMB15 billion

During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, Chongqing implemented a series of high-value patent cultivation projects aligned with the "33618" modern manufacturing cluster system and the "416" technology innovation strategy layout. The added value of patent-intensive industries as a proportion of GDP rose from 9.8% in 2020 to 12.2%.

Notably, during this period, Chongqing won 69 China Patent Awards, including 2 gold awards and 6 silver awards.

He Dawei highlighted that the municipality has progressively established a "1+2+N" operation service system. This includes the launch of the first national-level intellectual property operation center in western China, the development of two municipal-level operation centers focusing on digital intelligence technology and biomedicine, and the establishment of N district-level intellectual property operation centers. The system has gathered over 50,000 operable patents, creating a "gateway" for connecting intellectual property suppliers and demanders. By actively promoting bank-enterprise collaboration, intellectual property pledge financing reached nearly RMB15 billion, benefiting over 1,000 enterprises.

Furthermore, Chongqing has vigorously explored the value of trademarks and geographical indications, implementing trademark brand reward programs and geographical indication application promotion projects. The total number of geographical indication trademarks and products in the municipality reached 371, contributing to rural revitalization and regional characteristic economic development. For instance, Shizhu Coptis and Fengjie Navel Oranges were selected as national typical cases of geographical indications boosting rural revitalization, while 42 trademark brands including "Wujiang" and "Lengsuanling" were included in the first batch of the national "Thousand Enterprises and Hundred Cities" trademark brand value enhancement action list. "Wushan Crisp Plum" was listed in the "2025 Top 500 Most Valuable Chinese Brands."

Chongqing ranks fourth nationally in university technology transfer licenses

In recent years, Chongqing has implemented a three-pronged strategy to accelerate the commercialization of patent achievements from universities and research institutions.

First, comprehensive inventory assessment to establish a clear baseline. Addressing key challenges such as universities' reluctance and inability to transfer patents, the municipality established long-term mechanisms for continuous patent evaluation, technology transfer information exchange, and shared operational platforms. All 53 Chongqing-based universities conducted full inventory assessments of existing patents, evaluating 32,000 patents in total to build a transferable patent resource database. Currently, the database contains 27,500 patents.

Second, integrated operational services to activate essential resources. By accelerating the improvement of the intellectual property operation service system, Chongqing has supported institutions such as the Chongqing Intellectual Property Operation Center and Chongqing Technology Element Exchange Center in providing full-cycle services - including centralized acquisition, value appraisal, transaction facilitation, patent auctions, and licensing - bridging the gap between university technology supply and SME demand. The municipality has also organized cross-regional patent conversion matchmaking events in Western China and the Chengdu-Chongqing economic zone, promoting interregional patent collaboration between universities and enterprises.

Third, all-round institutional reforms to ensure policy effectiveness. Relevant municipal departments jointly issued the Several Measures on Accelerating the Transformation and Application of Patents, encouraging universities to shift from traditional one-to-one ordinary licensing to one-to-many open licensing, thereby reducing institutional costs for patent transfers. Universities are also guided to implement pre-application assessment mechanisms centered on industrialization potential, further promoting the industrial application of academic patent outcomes.

According to statistics, in 2024, the number of technology transfers and licenses from Chongqing's universities and research institutions ranked fourth nationwide, with patent transfer licenses increasing by 85% year-on-year. The industrialization rate of university-invented patents reached 9.72%, exceeding the national average, indicating accelerated flow of patent achievements into key enterprises within the "33618" modern manufacturing cluster system.

Chongqing transforms IP services from "Single-Window Processing" to "Regional Proximity-Based Access"

During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, Chongqing has made significant progress in building a full-chain intellectual property service system to support technological innovation. The municipality has strengthened the supply of public intellectual property services, with the comprehensive business acceptance window of the CNIPA achieving "one-stop processing" for major services. Trademark business acceptance windows have been established in six districts and counties - Liangjiang New Area, Chongqing High-Tech Industrial Development Zone, Rongchang District, Liangping District, Qianjiang District, and Yunyang County - shifting trademark registration services from a single centralized window to regional proximity-based access. Additionally, Chongqing has established 11 national-level intellectual property information institutions and 20 district/county-level comprehensive intellectual property service institutions, making IP-related affairs more convenient for the public.

Furthermore, the municipality has carried out three national-level pilot initiatives: optimizing the business environment in the intellectual property field, leveraging IP public services to support breakthroughs in key core technologies, and standardizing IP public services. These efforts aim to enhance the normalization, standardization, and convenience of public services while improving service quality.

Talent serves as the foundation for IP development. During the 14th Plan period, Chongqing expanded and strengthened its IP talent pool through measures such as improving training mechanisms, consolidating training platforms, and innovating incentive policies, achieving remarkable results.

Currently, the number of intellectual property engineers (including patent engineers) in Chongqing has reached 765, while over 1,500 individuals hold patent agent qualifications - including 667 practicing patent agents - representing increases of 68%, 54%, and 53.7% respectively compared to the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan period.

Looking forward, Chongqing will strive to successfully conclude the 14th Five-Year Plan with high quality and formulate the 15th Five-Year Plan for IP development with elevated standards. The municipality aims to better leverage intellectual property in serving technological innovation and empowering industrial development, thereby contributing greater IP-driven strength to the advancement of a modern new Chongqing.

Source: Chongqing Daily