Inventors from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) submitted as many as 2,800 patent applications last year and 480 of them received approvals, according to Shaya bin Ali Shaya, head of the GCC Patent Office.

Shaya made these observations at the launching of the 2nd GCC campaign for invention industry building “GCC Inventors-2014” on Sunday at King Abdul Aziz City for Science and Technology (KACST).

Top officials from GCC member states were present at the event.

Speaking on behalf of GCC Secretary-General Abdul Latif Al-Zayani, Shaya said that a noteworthy trend this year was the noticeable participation of Saudi companies, including Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) and Saudi Aramco.

Shaya said his office would be launching a special award for outstanding inventions with a focus on strategic areas like water, petrochemicals and other fields of interest to the GCC states.

He highlighted the fact that the GCC seeks to transform member countries into creative states and help them realize their ambitions by encouraging talented youth to create innovative products.

Speaking on behalf of KACST, Sami Ali Sudais, supervisor of the Saudi Patent Office at KACST, said that the GCC provides support to its inventors and talented youth by developing their ideas. The GCC also creates a conducive environment by motivating inventors through a number of initiatives.

Sudais presented an overview of some of the activities undertaken by KACST in the field of innovation and cited the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Award for inventors and talented people as an example of the support provided by the Saudi government.

“The award is designed to encourage and appreciate the work of excellent inventors in scientific and technological fields and intellectual production,” he said.

“Their work has contributed to developments in the fields of science and technology in the Kingdom,” he noted, stressing that KACST is keen to exempt inventors from initial research fees to encourage them further.

He said KACST provides all the information available to inventors and owners of creative ideas. It also provides support for inventors and incubates program initiatives, in addition to providing offices, consultants and equipment necessary for the emerging companies. Moreover, the institute links inventors and incubated investors through a network of individual investors, he observed.

According to him, there is an increase in the number of requests for national patents at KACST, which received 928 patent applications last year with 454 Saudis representing 49 percent.

“This high index is encouraging and shows the level of awareness in the field of protecting intellectual property rights and knowledge and the importance of patent registration to ensure the output of the exclusive right of the patent,” he concluded.