CHALLENGES
Getting universities to buy in to the idea and securing their long-term financial commitment, however, proved difficult. Recruiting faculty members willing to be trained to work in an ITSO was also a challenge. Like their industry counterparts, many faculty members were unaware of the relevance of patent information to them or of the potential benefits of patenting their research. Welded to a mentality of " publish or perish ", many failed to even consider securing a patent on their research before publishing it. Changing these deep-rooted perceptions was a daunting task.
FRANCHISING: A PATH TO FINANCIAL VIABILITY
After almost a year of roadshows engaging with the academic community to highlight the advantages of the initiative, a first batch of 29 institutions signed an initial two-year agreement to set up and operate an ITSO on their respective campuses. In so doing, they also committed to signing a franchise agreement with IPOPHL to operate their ITSO as a financially independent entity that formed part of a countrywide network of franchisees.
In the face of chronic resource constraints, IPOPHL considered that a franchising model was the only realistic way to secure the long-term viability of ITSOs and to safeguard their key role in creating the necessary conditions for innovation. Under the model, after a two-year period during which they receive government support, ITSOs are expected to become financially independent. Management falls to the host institution and revenues are derived from their services to industry. Each ITSO, however, operates under a franchising system. This makes it possible to aggregate resources, ensure high standards of quality, and apply uniform procedures with the backing of a central authority. As the franchisor, IPOPHL establishes the regulations and guidelines governing ITSO operations, and provides technical support, including negotiating preferential terms for the offices to use proprietary patent databases.
At the forum on Access to Technology for Innovation organized by IPOPHL in March 2012, WIPO Director General Francis Gurry noted that " the patent system is responsible for having put together the most comprehensive, the most systematic and most accessible record of humanity ' s technology." IPOPHL ' s ITSO program offers businesses and researchers in the Philippines the key to navigating this wealth of information to advance scientific and technological progress in support of the country ' s long-term economic development goals. So far, some 50 ITSOs have opened their doors for operation and many more universities are eager to join the program.
While it is too early to gauge the success of IPOPHL ' s franchise model, the ITSO initiative has already transformed the attitude of academics towards patents. Within university settings, patent information is now widely recognized as a valuable source of technical information and researchers readily explore the feasibility of patenting their work. Hopefully, the benefits of this shift in attitude will soon have a tangible and positive impact on the country ' s industrial landscape and business prospects. •
“ The patent system is responsible for having put together the most comprehensive, the most systematic and most accessible record of humanity ' s technology.”
-Francis Gurry-WIPO Director General
ITSOMAGazine 4