The Department of Media, Creative Industry, and Intellectual Property (DoMCIIP) participated in a training on "IP and Patent Information Search" held on 11 and 12 March 2024 at Paro. Jigme Namgyel Engineering College (JNEC) organized the training in collaboration with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). 

Patent information refers to data and documentation related to patents, including details about inventions, their owners, filing dates, granted claims, and legal status. Patent offices and freely accessible global databases such as Patent Scope and Espacenet usually make this information publicly available.

For Bhutan, patent information can be valuable for technology transfer. Access to patent information allows us to identify new technologies and free patents and innovations that could benefit our development goals. Bhutan can seek opportunities for collaboration, licensing or acquiring technologies to address local challenges and improve industries.

Patent information can also be a valuable resource for researchers and innovators in Bhutan. It provides insights into existing knowledge gaps, helps identify areas for further research and innovation and prevents duplication of efforts by understanding what has already been patented.

This capacity building is part of the Project on Facilitating the Transfer of Appropriate Technology in the Kingdom of Bhutan for Community Development through Universities and Research Institutions. In June 2023, JNEC and WIPO signed the Project Partnership Agreement (PPA) on the project. DoMCIIP presented on the IP Legislative Landscape and Patent System in Bhutan and took part in the invention search exercise. WIPO fielded Mr. Gaurav Jain, an International Expert, to conduct the training. Researchers and faculty members from the Royal University of Bhutan attended the two-day training as part of the PPA's first phase of capacity building.