On the afternoon of December 22, 2023, the 2023 Annual Forum of Suzhou Intellectual Property Operation Association was successfully held. Over a hundred attendees from member units of the Suzhou Intellectual Property Operation Association, government, industry, finance, universities, and research institutes participated in this event. Themed "New Engine for IP Transformation, Setting Sail Together on a New Journey," the forum concentrated on concept validation, IP collaboration, and patent transformation. It received meticulous guidance from the Suzhou Market Supervision Administration (Intellectual Property Bureau) and the Suzhou Civil Affairs Bureau, as well as assistance from the chairman's unit and various member units, achieving a resounding success.

Deputy Director of the Suzhou Market Supervision Administration (Intellectual Property Bureau), Shi Weibing, attended the event and delivered a speech. Director Shi stated that patent operations should serve as a bond of interest and a connector of information, with the core being the commercialization of patents. The association should take the opportunity of Suzhou's approval to create a provincial intellectual property protection demonstration zone and one of the first national commercial secret protection innovation pilot areas. It should focus on the State Council's "Patent Transformation and Application Special Action Plan (2023-2025)," follow the deployment of the competent authority, and solidly carry out all tasks. Director Shi believes that the first mile of successful patent transformation is the bond of interest and the connection of information; secondly, clarifying property rights distribution and "dressing in a legal coat" are also important considerations for patent transformation. In the end, Director Shi expressed his expectations for the future work of the association, hoping that it will continue to play the role of an intellectual property bond, link various resources, and promote the steady and far-reaching innovation of Suzhou.

Vice President of Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University and Chairman of the Suzhou Intellectual Property Operation Association, Dr. Ding Yimin, attended the event and delivered a speech. As the representative of the chairman's unit, Dr. Ding emphasized the university's responsibility and willingness to actively leverage its unique features to serve as an adhesive, catalyst, and booster for the industrial innovation ecosystem. He supported the development of the association and, together with its members, implemented new concepts through practical actions, accumulating new momentum for regional intellectual property and exploring new paths. Dr. Ding affirmed the association's effective work in 2023, focusing on the pain points and difficulties of intellectual property operations. He looked forward to the association's continued close cooperation with all member units in the coming year, jointly "gathering a group of experts and forming a set of standards," accurately exerting force in the new track, actively laying out a new ecosystem, and jointly promoting the intellectual property operation work towards a new pattern.

To provide a full chain of intellectual property operation services for members, promote the early cultivation of scientific and technological achievement transformation, and facilitate the collaborative development of intellectual property and standards in the Suzhou area, the association newly established the Concept Validation Expert Committee and the Intellectual Property and Standards Collaboration Expert Committee. Deputy Director Shi Weibing of the Suzhou Market Supervision Administration (Intellectual Property Bureau) and Deputy Director Gu Chengkai of the Suzhou Industrial Park Science and Technology Innovation Committee issued appointment certificates to the experts of the Concept Validation Committee.

Deputy Director Chen Danni of the Social Organization Management Office of the Suzhou Civil Affairs Bureau and Secretary-General Gao Lina of the Suzhou Intellectual Property Operation Association issued appointment certificates to the experts of the Intellectual Property and Standards Collaboration Committee. The establishment of the two expert committees will provide strong intellectual support for the association's work and add new momentum to the future development of the association.

As a new exploration in intellectual property operations, concept validation helps improve innovation efficiency, enhance the benefits of intellectual property transformation, and promote technology transfer and commercialization. In 2023, the association focused on the fields of intelligent manufacturing and new materials, holding two concept validation training camps, from which a number of outstanding units and individuals emerged. Deputy Director Shi Weibing of the Suzhou Market Supervision Administration (Intellectual Property Bureau), Dr. Ding Yimin, Chairman of the Suzhou Intellectual Property Operation Association, Deputy Director Gu Chengkai of the Suzhou Industrial Park Science and Technology Innovation Committee, Deputy Director and Party Member Xu Yunkai of the Wujiang District Market Supervision Administration and the District Intellectual Property Bureau, and Director Zhang Chunye of the Intellectual Property Industry Promotion Office of the Suzhou Market Supervision Administration (Intellectual Property Bureau) served as award presenters, issuing certificates to the winners of the Concept Validation Training Camp - Annual Outstanding Achievement Award, Concept Validation Training Camp - Annual Outstanding Team Award, Concept Validation Training Camp - Annual Outstanding Organization Award, Annual Best Innovation Empowerment Partner, and Annual Best Intellectual Property Partner.

Building a comprehensive and cooperative ecosystem for the development of intellectual property and standards is an important goal for the association's future work. At this annual forum, Vice President Qu Weixin of Soochow University Xiangcheng Robotics and Intelligent Equipment Research Institute shared his experience as the Chief Technology Officer at Kewox, and his journey from a technical engineer to engaging in intellectual property standardization work. He discussed the integration of technological innovation, patents, standards, and commercialization, achieving technology patenting, patent standardization, standard industrialization, and ultimately realizing industrial internationalization. Professor Xia Ping, Chief Data Officer of the Yangtze River Delta Science and Technology Element Trading Center, illustrated the process of patent formation and application with the example of a new drug development at the conference.

The development of the association is inseparable from the valuable experience and wisdom of its member units. The annual forum specially opened a "Wisdom Sharing" session for association members. Ms. Wang Heyan, partner of Beijing Pin Yuan Patent Agency Co., Ltd. Suzhou Branch, and Mr. Wu Zhimin, Intellectual Property Director of Ke Electric Co., Ltd., brought us speeches on "Intellectual Property Assisting Capital to Run towards Industry - Practice of Intellectual Property Transformation in the Process of Fund Investment" and "Improving Patent Quality to Promote Transformation and Application." They focused on four forms of intellectual property financing: intellectual property capital contribution, intellectual property pledge, intellectual property securitization, and intellectual property trust, and introduced how to cultivate high-value patents from technical, market, and legal dimensions.

The annual meeting concluded with a roundtable forum themed "Promoting Innovation Achievement Transformation and Empowering High-Quality Industrial Development: Exploring New Models and Challenges of Patent Transformation and Application." Director Zhang Chunye of the Intellectual Property Industry Promotion Office of the Suzhou Market Supervision Administration (Intellectual Property Bureau), Director Wang Wen of Xi'an Jiaotong University International Transfer Center, Director Liu Yu of the Digital Medical Technology Research Institute of the Yangtze River Delta National Technology Innovation Center, General Manager He Mingming of the Intellectual Property Center of Visionox Technology Co., Ltd., Senior Specialist Fu Yuhang of the Agricultural Bank's Model Risk Management, and General Manager Yang Linjie of Suzhou Weishibo Intellectual Property Service Co., Ltd., joined the roundtable as guests. Mr. Zhang Han, General Manager of Jusri International Technology Investment Consulting Co., Ltd., served as the special host of the roundtable. Director Zhang Chunye introduced the research and formulation of relevant policies and measures in Jiangsu Province and Suzhou City following the State Council's introduction of the "Patent Transformation and Application Special Action Plan." Director Wang Wen suggested that university patents should be of higher quality and fewer in quantity, and proposed some specific suggestions. He also shared the experience and online system of concept validation work at Xi'an Jiaotong University. Director Liu Yu believes that intellectual property operations must be deeply integrated with the market. At the same time, the market should also actively reach out to universities to explore university patent resources, achieving a two-way integration of industry and academia. General Manager He Mingming emphasized the need to seize the opportunities of technological iteration and actively layout overseas patents. Mr. Fu Yuhang introduced the Agricultural Bank's practices in intellectual property, its experience in serving technology-based enterprises, and innovations in financial product design and intellectual property pledges. General Manager Yang Linjie believes that the litigation deterrent power of patents should not be overlooked. We should return to the legal essence of patents and use this as a starting point to resolve the issue of a large number of low-quality patents from universities and research institutions. Industries can also explore collaborative cooperation with universities, integrating patent exclusivity with technological innovation.

Finally, Director Zhang Chunye made a concluding speech, pointing out that to further promote the development of Suzhou's intellectual property, the government will implement more and better intellectual property operation guidance projects. At the same time, he hopes that the association will play a higher-level role, using intellectual property as a bond to develop more innovative products, gather the strength of all parties, cultivate a high-level team of experts, and continue to promote local development.

Despite the cold weather, the event was warmly received and did not conclude until 6 pm. The annual meeting strengthened the association's connections with all sectors and implemented the association's philosophy of integrating industrial, academic, and research resources to create an innovative cooperative ecosystem. In the future, the association will continue to create brand events, develop high-quality members, improve system construction, and use the expert committees to gather strength, create a full-chain, cross-domain IP community, and start a new chapter of value creation and win-win cooperation between industry and academia!