Minister of State for Trade and Industry, Mr Teo Ser Luck, joined by Dr Francis Gurry, Director-General of WIPO, graced the event as Guest-of-Honour and presented the awards to the recipients.

Now in its second run, the WIPO-IPOS IP Awards aim to recognise and celebrate Singapore’s IP-intensive enterprises that have achieved excellence in innovation and creativity, and created a positive impact on Singapore’s economic and social development. These companies have not only shown the importance of harnessing IP as a competitive advantage, but were also exemplary in the creation and use of IP for others to emulate.

After an encouraging run last year, the awards have also expanded to seven award categories to embrace more creative and innovative efforts in Singapore. Three are awarded to top local corporate users of the Patent Cooperation Treaty System, the Madrid System and the Hague System. The other four are Patents - Technology Creation, Patents - IP Commercialisation, Exceptional Trade Mark Use, and Design Innovation.

The awards were presented to the recipients below:

- Winner for the WIPO-IPOS IP Award 2014 (Patents) Top User of the Patent Cooperation Treaty System: Agency for Science, Technology and Research;

- Winner for the WIPO-IPOS IP Award 2014 (Patents) Technology Creation: Advanpack Solutions Pte Ltd;

- Winner for the WIPO-IPOS IP Award 2014 (Patents) IP Commercialisation: WisTa Laboratories Ltd;

- Winner for the WIPO-IPOS IP Award 2014 (Trade Marks) Top User of the Madrid System: Siemens Medical Instruments Pte Ltd;

- Winner for the WIPO-IPOS IP Award 2014 (Trade Marks) for Exceptional Trade Mark Use: Fraser and Neave, Ltd;

- Winner for the WIPO-IPOS IP Award 2014 (Industrial Designs) Top User of the Hague System: LITTLEBIGSOUND Pte Ltd; and

- Winner for the WIPO-IPOS IP Award 2014 (Industrial Designs) Design Innovation: Guitaring Passionately Pte Ltd.

The recipients of these prestigious awards have been carefully selected and evaluated by a panel of influential personalities and leaders in the fields of IP, technology and business. These include Mr Low Cheaw Hwei, Global Creative Director for Consumer Lifestyle at Philips Design and Mr Tai Lee Siang, President of the Design Business Chamber Singapore.

Mr Philip Lim, Chief Executive Officer of ETPL, A*STAR’s technology transfer arm, said, “A*STAR plays a key role in delivering industry-relevant R&D for economic impact. A robust IP strategy is vital for protecting our technologies, and enabling our industry partners to maximise commercial potential of cutting-edge innovations. We are honoured to receive this award for the second year running. This affirms A*STAR’s commitment to strengthen the enterprise ecosystem through IP excellence.”

Dr Francis Gurry said: “WIPO and IPOS share a common goal in encouraging and recognising creativity and innovation in the region and around the world. Through the WIPO-IPOS IP Awards, we hope to inspire and generate a stronger interest in businesses to build a competitive edge with IP. I congratulate all winners and look forward to forging more collaborations with IPOS to heighten IP awareness and excellence.”

Mr Tan Yih San, Chief Executive of IPOS, said: “Ideas and innovation are important capital for businesses to stay at the forefront of our global knowledge economy. This year’s recipients are amongst many who have utilised these ideas to drive their businesses in Singapore. I am encouraged by their contributions and hope that more will come on board to join us in this exciting IP journey.”

A full list of the award recipients and judging criteria of the WIPO-IPOS IP Awards 2014 can be found in Annex A.