Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu seeks WIPO’s partnership to promote innovation and intellectual property rights
CM discuss with WIPO on IPR awareness, patents and global branding of local product
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu today met World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Director General Daren Tang to explore ways to secure international recognition for innovation, research and creativity in Andhra Pradesh and enhance awareness of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) among startups and entrepreneurs in the State.
The Chief Minister arrived in Visakhapatnam ahead of the two-day CII Partnership Summit, scheduled to begin on Thursday and held series of meetings. As part of these engagements, he met the WIPO Director General and discussed opportunities for institutional collaboration.The discussions focused on establishing a WIPO–Andhra Pradesh Academy and conducting joint programmes to provide training on Intellectual Property Rights, patents, trademarks, industrial designs and technology protection to students, researchers, startup founders and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).
The Chief Minister sought WIPO’s support in securing Geographical Indication (GI) tags for the State’s handloom products, handicrafts and other local products. He also requested assistance in expanding markets for existing GI-tagged products and taking their quality standards and branding to the international level. Chandrababu Naidu said the State Government was encouraging young entrepreneurs and supporting startup companies through the Ratan Tata Innovation Hub. He invited WIPO to work closely with the State Government to further strengthen the startup ecosystem and provide greater impetus to innovation.
During the meeting with WIPO Director General Daren Tang, the Chief Minister explained various policies being implemented by the State Government, particularly those aimed at strengthening the startup ecosystem and promoting industrial growth.Daren Tang appreciated Andhra Pradesh’s efforts in organising major industrial and investment summits. Bringing prominent personalities and leading organisations from different sectors onto a common platform was a positive development, he said, adding that such initiatives would help create greater awareness and understanding of opportunities across various industries. He also referred to the Amaravati Quantum Valley initiative.The Chief Minister explained that the State was being developed through three distinct economic regions, with dedicated development plans for each. He said the Government was preparing Andhra Pradesh’s youth to embrace emerging technologies such as quantum computing and artificial intelligence.He emphasised that technology was being leveraged not only in the private sector but also in governance to accelerate development and make public services more accessible and convenient for citizens.The Government was identifying sectors with strong future potential and taking steps to promote them from an early stage, he said. Andhra Pradesh offered immense investment opportunities in green energy, space technology, quantum computing, natural farming and several other emerging sectors.
Highlighting the Government’s commitment to women’s empowerment, the Chief Minister said the State had set a target of transforming 10 lakh women into entrepreneurs. Products made by women at the grassroots level were being promoted under the ‘Swayam’ brand to provide them with greater market visibility and commercial opportunities.He invited WIPO to partner with the State Government in initiatives aimed at promoting women’s economic empowerment and entrepreneurship.The meeting also discussed opportunities to integrate WIPO’s initiatives with the P4 model and the State’s ambitious goal of developing Amaravati–Visakhapatnam region into one of the world’s top 100 science and technology clusters by 2029.
