This Implementation Plan is formulated to thoroughly implement the “Notice of the General Office of the State Council on Issuing the <Special Action Plan for Patent Commercialization and Utilization (2023–2025)>” (State Council General Office Document [2023] No. 37), taking into account the actual conditions of Shandong Province.

I. Work Objectives

Focusing on patent commercialization, this plan aims to fully leverage the dual roles of the intellectual property system and technological supply. It seeks to enhance patent quality, strengthen policy incentives, address key bottlenecks, and optimize the service environment, thereby expanding the competitive advantage of intellectual property in key industrial sectors and accelerating the formation of green, low-carbon, high-quality development and new-quality productive forces.By 2025, the patent commercialization rate among universities and research institutes across the province will have significantly increased; the transaction value of technology contracts involving patents will reach 50 billion yuan; and the output value of registered and certified patent-intensive products will exceed 85 billion yuan.

II. Key Tasks

(1) Promote Patent Commercialization and Value Realization

1. Sort and revitalize existing patents. Encourage universities and research institutes to adopt a market-oriented approach with commercialization as the goal, conducting screening and evaluation of existing patents, supply-demand matching, promotion and application, and follow-up feedback. By 2025, strive to achieve full coverage of all valid, uncommercialized patents held by universities and research institutes across the province. Organize universities and research institutes to screen patents with potential market value and register them in the National Intellectual Property Operation Service Platform database.Intelligently match registered patents with enterprises based on industry classification and technical fields, push these matches to enterprises, and organize enterprises to evaluate and provide feedback on the recommended patents. Leveraging the patent commercialization resource database of the National Intellectual Property Operation Service Platform, implement differentiated promotion measures according to patent tiering to facilitate commercialization. (Lead Agencies: Provincial Market Regulation Bureau, Provincial Department of Education, Provincial Department of Science and Technology; Cooperating Agency: Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology)

2. Enhance the quality of patent creation. Advance the implementation of the “100 Universities, 1,000 Projects” initiative for the cultivation and transformation of high-value patents, guiding universities to improve their full-process intellectual property management mechanisms. Launch pilot programs for pre-application patent evaluations centered on industrialization prospect analysis to improve the quality of patent applications and industrialization capabilities. By 2025, promote the implementation of pre-application patent evaluations at 40 universities and research institutes.Implement the requirements of the “Thousand Universities, Ten Thousand Enterprises” Collaborative Innovation Partnership Initiative, guiding universities to strengthen joint research with enterprises, precisely align with market needs, and identify and position high-value patent technologies for industrialization to improve the quality of patent creation. Promote the establishment of quality-oriented intellectual property service bidding mechanisms in universities and research institutes, strengthen the management of entry, evaluation, and exit for intellectual property service providers, and optimize resource allocation and utilization.(Lead Agencies: Provincial Department of Education, Provincial Market Regulation Bureau; Cooperating Agencies: Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology, Provincial Department of Science and Technology)

3. Empowering the Innovative Development of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs). Implement the Patent Commercialization Plan to Promote SME Growth, identifying a group of high-growth enterprises with R&D capabilities and a foundation for patent commercialization, and increasing support for services such as patent pre-examination, priority examination, patent navigation, and patent management. Launch the Patent Empowerment Initiative for the Innovative Development of Specialized, Refined, Unique, and Innovative SMEs, promote the “One Month, One Industrial Chain” investment and financing roadshows, and guide the aggregation of innovation factors—including capital, talent, and technology—toward these SMEs.By 2025, we aim to cultivate 1,000 "Little Giant" enterprises with patent advantages among the "Specialized, Refined, Unique, and Innovative" SMEs, as well as 1,000 National Intellectual Property Advantage Demonstration Enterprises. We strive to facilitate the commercialization of 200 patent technologies and secure over 10 billion yuan in patent-backed financing annually for these SMEs.Strengthen support for enterprises in fields such as scientific and technological innovation, advanced manufacturing, green development, and SPEC-T-X to raise capital through public listings. Guide and support their entry into regional equity markets for listing and financing, and implement standardized cultivation and post-investment management. Explore the provision of specialized intellectual property services for pre-IPO enterprises to effectively mitigate intellectual property risks during the listing process. (Lead Agencies: Provincial Market Regulation Bureau, Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology; Cooperating Agencies: Provincial Party Committee Financial Affairs Office, Shandong Securities Regulatory Bureau, Qingdao Securities Regulatory Bureau, Provincial Department of Science and Technology)

4. Promote Industrial Chain Strengthening and Efficiency Enhancement. Support key industries and enterprises, such as strategic emerging industries and flagship industrial chains, in collaboration with various innovation platforms to cultivate and introduce key industrial technology patents that address common technical shortcomings and possess leading advantages. Adopt approaches such as the “patent technology + talent team” synergy to facilitate the industrialization and implementation of patent technologies, thereby aiding in “supplementing, strengthening, and building” industrial chains.Support the establishment of industrial intellectual property operation centers. Focusing on industrial and supply chains, build and operate patent pools for key industries to expand industrial scale and benefits, and accelerate the formation of market advantages. Promote the implementation of the international standard “Innovation Management—Guidelines for Intellectual Property Management (ISO 56005)” to enhance the intellectual property management capabilities of innovation entities, and use the synergy between patents and standards to promote the industrialization of scientific and technological achievements. Launch pilot programs for data intellectual property to advance data intellectual property protection and the circulation of data as a production factor. In cutting-edge technology fields such as future industries, encourage the exploration of new application models, including open-source patents.(Lead Agencies: Provincial Market Regulation Bureau, Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology, Provincial Department of Science and Technology)

5. Promote the Cultivation of Patent-Intensive Products. Promote the filing of patent products; by 2025, achieve full coverage of patent product filings among high-tech enterprises, specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative SMEs, and national intellectual property demonstration enterprises. Cultivate and promote patent-intensive products, and advance the implementation of mechanisms for calculating and publishing the added value of patent-intensive industries. (Lead Agency: Provincial Market Regulation Bureau; Cooperating Agencies: Provincial Department of Science and Technology, Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology, Provincial Bureau of Statistics)

(II) Strengthen Policy Guidance and Facilitate Commercialization Channels.

6. Improve incentive measures for patent commercialization in universities and research institutions. Deepen reforms regarding the rights to use, dispose of, and derive benefits from scientific and technological achievements. Establish a mechanism for error tolerance and correction regarding the fulfillment of decision-making and management responsibilities by unit leaders and science and technology management personnel during the commercialization process, fostering a positive atmosphere where entities dare to and are willing to commercialize. For patent open licenses that have been concluded and filed, register and recognize them as technology contracts in accordance with laws and regulations. Better utilize methods such as patent open licensing and “use-first, pay-later” arrangements to support innovation among science and technology-based small, medium, and micro enterprises.Establish an intellectual property revenue distribution mechanism that balances the rights and obligations of institutions, researchers, and various technology transfer agencies. For those who make outstanding contributions to patent commercialization, a certain percentage of the net revenue from commercialization may be allocated as service remuneration in accordance with agreements. Strengthen the review of intellectual property clauses in industry-academia-research cooperation agreements, and reasonably define rights ownership and revenue distribution.Support universities and research institutes in raising funds to establish intellectual property management and operation funds, to be used for intellectual property management and operation work, as well as for the development of specialized technology transfer agencies and talent teams. For key core technology patent (portfolio) projects successfully commercialized and implemented by universities and research institutes across the province in key industrial sectors, yielding significant economic benefits, the provincial government will provide financial rewards and subsidies. (Lead Agencies: Provincial Department of Science and Technology, Provincial Department of Education, Provincial Market Regulation Bureau; Cooperating Agency: Provincial Department of Finance)

7. Optimize policy orientation to promote patent commercialization. Universities and research institutes may independently decide to transfer, license, or contribute as equity the patent technologies they hold, without the need for approval or filing with competent authorities or financial departments.Promote the implementation of a declaration system for patents generated from fiscally funded research projects. For patents resulting from such projects that have been granted for more than three years without implementation and without valid justification, encourage their listing for trading on intellectual property trading platforms approved by regulatory authorities and possessing trading qualifications, or the submission of a declaration of open licensing, to facilitate commercialization and implementation. For patents granted for more than five years without implementation and without valid justification, relevant national regulations shall apply.Refine the orientation of patent work, emphasizing patent quality and performance in commercialization and application. Avoid setting binding targets for patent application volume, and do not simply link fiscal incentive policies to patent quantity. In project reviews, institutional evaluations, enterprise certifications, talent assessments, and professional title evaluations, where patent indicators are involved, the benefits of patent commercialization shall be considered a key evaluation criterion.(Lead Agencies: Provincial Department of Science and Technology, Provincial Department of Education, Provincial Market Regulation Bureau; Cooperating Agencies: Provincial Department of Human Resources and Social Security, Provincial Department of Finance, Provincial Party Committee Financial Affairs Office, Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology, Provincial Health Commission)

8. Improve the intellectual property protection system. Promote the revision of the “Shandong Province Patent Regulations” and advance the implementation of the “Shandong Province Intellectual Property Protection and Promotion Regulations.” Strengthen the construction of the intellectual property protection system, improve the patent risk early warning mechanism, and enhance services such as credit-based supervision, rights protection assistance, and dispute mediation.Intensify special campaigns against intellectual property infringement and continue to step up efforts to crack down on patent violations in key products, sectors, and processes. Launch the “Assisting Enterprises to Sail Far” special campaign, strengthen risk early warning monitoring and analysis of intellectual property in key industries, and enhance reviews of intellectual property transfers to foreign entities. (Lead Agency: Provincial Market Regulation Bureau; Cooperating Agencies: Provincial Department of Commerce, Provincial Department of Justice, Provincial Department of Public Security)

(3) Strengthen the allocation of market factors and optimize the intellectual property service environment.

9. Strengthen the development of the intellectual property operation system. Improve supporting measures such as patent assignment registration, open patent licensing, and patent valuation. Support service providers, including intellectual property operation platforms, in conducting services such as patent screening and evaluation, information matching, and promotion and application. The provincial government will provide financial incentives and subsidies to entities that achieve significant results in promoting patent commercialization.Promote information sharing between technology contract registration and patent transfer and licensing registration and filing systems, and expand the coverage of patent implementation licensing filings for universities and research institutions. Improve the integration and monitoring of various data on patent implementation, transfer, licensing, pledging, and import/export, as well as the collection of basic statistical data related to intellectual property transactions. (Lead Agencies: Provincial Market Regulation Bureau, Provincial Department of Science and Technology; Cooperating Agencies: Provincial Bureau of Statistics, Provincial Department of Commerce, Provincial Department of Finance)

10. Strengthen financial support for intellectual property. Under the premise of compliance with laws and regulations and controllable risks, expand support for intellectual property pledge financing; explore the full online and paperless processing of intellectual property pledge financing; and guide pilot banks to orderly advance pilot programs for internal intellectual property valuation. Facilitate connections between high-tech enterprises, specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative SMEs, and national intellectual property advantage demonstration enterprises with banks and other financial institutions to conduct intellectual property pledge financing.Increase investment by the Provincial New and Old Growth Drivers Transformation Fund in patent commercialization projects. Utilize equity investment and other methods to attract diverse social capital and support patent commercialization. Under the premise of compliance with laws and regulations and controllable risks, steadily promote financing for technology-based enterprises through the securitization of intellectual property assets, and explore business models such as “loans plus direct external investment” through cooperation between banks and investment institutions. Improve the intellectual property insurance service system and explore the development of insurance products covering patent licensing, commercialization, overseas deployment, and overseas rights protection.(Lead Agencies: Shandong Regulatory Bureau of the National Financial Supervisory Administration, Qingdao Regulatory Bureau of the National Financial Supervisory Administration, Provincial Market Regulation Bureau; Cooperating Agencies: Provincial Party Committee Financial Affairs Office, Provincial Department of Science and Technology, Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology, Provincial Department of Finance, Shandong Securities Regulatory Bureau, Qingdao Securities Regulatory Bureau)

11. Enhance the level of intellectual property services. Promote the implementation of the Intellectual Property Public Service Inclusive Project and improve the public service system for intellectual property to better serve the public. Cultivate a group of highly specialized, reputable intellectual property service institutions and expert professionals; guide them to adopt a service philosophy oriented toward promoting patent commercialization; expand service areas; participate in serving science and technology projects at all levels; and assist in tackling core technological challenges and the commercialization and application of patents.Encourage intellectual property service agencies to engage in technology transfer and commercialization activities; support the inclusion of eligible agencies with outstanding performance in the provincial registry of technology transfer service agencies. Promote the establishment of technology transfer mechanisms in universities and research institutes to enhance their capabilities in integrating and adapting patent outcomes and in identifying and responding to market demands. Support enterprises in collaborating with universities and research institutes to establish joint technology transfer consortia to facilitate the practical implementation of scientific and technological achievements.We will advance the optimization and upgrading of intellectual property service industry clusters, with the goal of establishing 1–2 national-level demonstration zones for the clustered development of the intellectual property service industry by 2025. We will leverage the roles of the Yellow River Basin Intellectual Property Big Data Center and the Yellow River Basin “9+3” Provinces (Autonomous Regions, Production and Construction Corps) Alliance for High-Quality Intellectual Property Development to promote the industrialization of patent technologies in Shandong Province.(Lead Agency: Provincial Market Regulation Bureau; Cooperating Agencies: Provincial Department of Education, Provincial Department of Science and Technology, Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology)

12. Facilitate the international circulation of intellectual property resources. Leverage the institutional innovation advantages of the Shandong Pilot Free Trade Zone to explore the establishment of a foreign-related intellectual property protection system. Support the application for the construction of a National Intellectual Property Service Export Base. Encourage banks to include more high-quality technology import and export enterprises within the scope of enterprise facilitation policies, providing convenient and efficient financial services for enterprises’ foreign exchange receipts and payments. Encourage overseas patent holders and foreign-invested enterprises to commercialize and implement patent technologies in Shandong Province in accordance with market principles. Strengthen international exchanges on intellectual property protection and utilization.(Lead Agencies: Provincial Market Regulation Bureau, Provincial Department of Commerce; Cooperating Agency: People’s Bank of China Shandong Branch)

III. Support Measures

(1) Strengthen Organizational Leadership. All cities must strengthen organizational leadership, place patent commercialization and utilization on their key agendas, and effectively implement all tasks of the special campaign. The Office of the Provincial Government’s Leading Group for the Implementation of the Intellectual Property Strategy will take the lead in establishing a working mechanism for the patent commercialization and utilization special campaign, implement relevant decisions and deployments of the Provincial Government, study major policies and key projects, coordinate the resolution of difficult issues, and ensure the effective implementation of all tasks. (Lead Agency: Provincial Market Regulation Bureau)

(2) Strengthen Evaluation and Incentives. The effectiveness of patent commercialization efforts shall be incorporated into the provincial government’s inspection and evaluation of municipal intellectual property protection work. Categorized statistics and summary reports shall be prepared and submitted regarding high-value patents generated from patent industrialization projects and enterprises with high commercialization benefits. (Lead Agency: Provincial Market Regulation Bureau; Cooperating Agencies: Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology, Provincial Bureau of Statistics)

(3) Increase Support Measures. All cities shall increase investment and support for patent commercialization and utilization, and guide the establishment of diversified investment mechanisms. The provincial government shall allocate special funds for intellectual property and related fields through the provincial finance department, and increase support for patent commercialization and industrialization. Relevant tax preferential policies supporting patent commercialization and utilization shall be implemented. (Lead Agencies: Provincial Department of Finance, Provincial Tax Bureau, Qingdao Municipal Tax Bureau)

(4) Strengthen Publicity and Guidance. Strengthen the summarization of experiences and publicity efforts regarding patent commercialization, promptly promote advanced practices and release typical case studies, and foster a favorable social atmosphere conducive to patent commercialization and utilization. (Lead Agencies: Provincial Publicity Department, Provincial Market Regulation Bureau; Cooperating Agencies: Provincial Department of Education, Provincial Department of Science and Technology, Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology)