Pune: CSIR-NCL (Council of Scientific & Industrial Research - National Chemical Laboratory) organized a roundtable discussion recently, as part of a collaborative effort between the Office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs, and Trademarks (CGPDTM) and the Danish Patent and Trademark Office (DKPTO).
The roundtable focused on "Patenting of Inventions in Biotechnology and Biomedical Fields," with the objective of addressing the unique challenges and opportunities within these rapidly evolving sectors in both India and Denmark.
The roundtable, hosted by CSIR-NCL's Intellectual Property Group, brought together over 40 invited participants, including officials from all four Indian Patent Offices, Danish patent examiners, and representatives from various CSIR labs involved in biotech and medtech intellectual property.
The event also saw participation from key national labs based in Pune, such as ICMR-NIV, NCCS, and the ICAR-Grape Research Institute, as well as members of the industry body ASSOCHAM.
Given the surge of startups in the biomedical sector, the roundtable also included insights from entrepreneurs, inventors, and representatives from incubation centers like the Atal Incubation Center at IISER-Pune and Pinnacle Industries, both of which play a crucial role in supporting these emerging businesses.
The discussions were inaugurated by Prof. Dr. Unnat Pandit, Controller General of the Patents, Designs & Trademarks Office of India, and Dr. Louise Boisen, IPR Counsellor at The Royal Danish Embassy in India.
Dr. Nitin Tewari, Head of the Intellectual Property Group at CSIR-NCL, moderated the session. Indian Patent Office examiners provided an overview of the biotech patent examination process in India, citing examples from recent case laws and discussing the scope of non-patentable subject matter under the Indian Patents Act.
Danish examiners offered insights into the patenting landscape in Denmark and under the European Patent Convention, highlighting differences and similarities in approaches to biotech and medtech innovations.
Dr. Nitin Tewari presented on “IP Contributions of CSIR-NCL,” emphasizing the organization's robust intellectual property culture that dates back to the 1940s, starting with the pioneering work of Dr. Shanti Swaroop Bhatnagar.
Dr. Tewari underscored CSIR’s commitment to the "publish, patent, prosper" strategy, citing landmark cases involving turmeric, basmati, and neem, as well as the creation of the Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL).
He also highlighted CSIR-NCL’s strategic use of intellectual property through initiatives like the Venture Center business incubator, which has led to the creation of around 15 spin-offs by CSIR-NCL scientists and students over the past 15 years.