Abu Dhabi expands patent support services to cover small and micro-sized businesses

Move is aimed at enabling companies to innovate and create jobs as part of the shift to a knowledge-based economy

Abu Dhabi’s economy rebounded strongly on the back of government measures to curb the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. Bloomberg

The Competitiveness Office of Abu Dhabi has expanded its patent support service to cover micro, small and medium-sized businesses, to help support the emirate’s shift to a knowledge-based economy.

The office is part of the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development.

Its patent services will now be extended to SMEs, microenterprises as well as academic institutions and Abu Dhabi-licensed companies to promote innovation, while supporting Abu Dhabi's diversification strategy and creating jobs in the fields of knowledge and innovation, Added said on Friday.

Financial assistance has also been increased by between 27 and 30 per cent for all categories of supported businesses.

The moves are part of the “Abu Dhabi Innovates” programme launched last year to boost the emirate's innovation ecosystem.

The expansion of the service reflects Added’s commitment to support inventors and enhance innovation and the entrepreneurship ecosystem, said Hala Al Ameri, executive director of the Competitiveness Office of Abu Dhabi.

“Based on our continuing communications with inventors and innovators and market studies, we take necessary steps to ensure providing an innovation-friendly environment,” Ms Al Ameri said.

Abu Dhabi’s economy rebounded strongly on the back of government measures to curb the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The emirate’s economy grew by 10.5 per cent on an annual basis in the first nine months of 2022, driven by strong growth in the non-oil sector, according to government data.

The patent support service will be expanded to cover applications of concerned entities in the UAE and the World Intellectual Property Organisation, the authority said.

Applications for patent-filing support services rose 86 per cent on an annual basis to 91 per cent last year, while supported patent applications reached 30 in 2022 compared with three applications in 2021, it added.

The Competitiveness Office of Abu Dhabi has also launched the Abu Dhabi Innovation Incubators programme, which sets policies and regulations to promote innovation incubators, investment in hi-tech solutions and research and development, while supporting innovators at different stages in development.

It also launched, in co-operation with the Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council, a technology readiness guide to provide a unified measure on the level of technology readiness and maturity.