The Ministry of National Education has been focusing on patent, useful model, design and brand registration as part of intellectual property rights activities since 2019. Within this framework, the Ministry prioritized R&D activities especially in vocational high schools. As a result of these efforts, a total of 188 products, 12 of them patents, 8 useful models, 109 designs and 59 brands were registered in 2020. The Ministry also started intellectual property rights projects in Science High Schools and BİLSEMs.

 

With the support of Turkish Patent and Brand Institution, intellectual and industrial property rights training programs were organized for teachers working in 183 BİLSEMs in 81 cities and ongoing projects carried out by BİLSEMs were reconstructed. As a result of these activities, BİLSEMs applied for the registry of 1074 products, 101 of them being patents, 168 useful models, 1695 designs and 10 brands in the first six months of 2021.

 

The Ministry was aiming at registering 183 products, at least one from each BİLSEMs. In the first six months of 2021, 520 products were registered as a result of applications and the goal of the Ministry was exceeded and the number of registered products increased by 184 percent.

 

Vocational Education Institutes applied for the application of 850 products, 12 of them being patents, 13 useful models, 45 designs and 39 brands in 2021. 44 percent of the goal of the Ministry set as a registry of 250 products of vocational high schools was achieved in the first six months of 2021.

 

Science high schools applied for the registration of 165 products this year and 9 of these products were registered. The Ministry set the goal as 320 registrations for science high schools.

 

Minister of National Education Mahmut Özer commented that vocational education institutes, BİLSEMs and science high schools made important achievements in intellectual property rights for the last year.

 

Noting that as a part of cooperation with the Turkish Patent and Brand Institution, the Ministry completed training programs about intellectual property rights process for administrators and teachers in 81 cities of the country, Minister Özer said, "We have founded an intellectual rights office as an affiliate to our Ministry in order to coordinate the activities carried out in 81 cities and provided required support. We applied for the registration of 2 thousand and 989 products developed by vocational education institutes, BİLSEMs and science high schools and 638 of these patents, useful models, designs and brands were registered in the first six months of 2021. Assessment of the majority of our applications still continues."

Stressing that they aim at raising awareness about intellectual property rights among secondary education institutes, Özer went on to say: "We achieved important progress about intellectual property rights in vocational and science high schools and BİLSEMs. As a result of our cooperation with the Turkish Patent and Brand Institute, we organized training programs for administrators and teachers working in science high schools and BİLSEMs located in 81 cities of our country. We are aiming at registering at least one product developed by each of the existing 320 science high schools and 183 BİLSEMs. Our goal for vocational high school is the registry of 250 products. In total, we are aiming at registering a total of 753 patents, useful models, useful models, designs and brands in 2021.

 

"We have achieved 85 percent of our goal in the first six months of 2021. These figures obtained during the first six months are inspiring. I believe that we will easily achieve the goal we set for 2021. We gained important experience and culture about intellectual and industrial property rights during this process and these will carry us to a better place in the future."

 

Özer thanked Turkish Patent and Brand Institute Chairman Prof. Dr. Habip Asan for his support and Director General for Special Education and Guidance Services Mehmet Nezir Gül, Director General for Vocational and Technical Education Kemal Varın Numanoğlu and Director General for Secondary Education Halil İbrahim Topçu, Provincial Directors of National Education of 81 cities of the country and his colleagues for their efforts.