Ten projects won financial incentives for promoting high-value patented technologies during a competition last week in Beijing.

Co-organized by the National Intellectual Property Administration, the Haidian district government and other authorities, the competition started in April.

After three preliminary rounds, the event provided cash rewards worth 540,000 yuan ($76,460) and IP services worth 440,000 yuan for the final winners.

The winning projects covered a range of sectors including artificial intelligence, internet of things, biotechnology and intelligent equipment technologies.

Among them is a smart solar panel cleaning robot developed by Boson Robotics.

The robot, made with a lightweight aluminum structure, uses technologies of autonomous driving, said Wang Guanyu, chairman of the company. It can work at solar farms and in harsh climates, he said.

"We spent three years in creating the robot and we are betting it will have a huge market."

At present, the cost of photovoltaic-based power generation and energy storage has decreased rapidly, he said, adding the robot has a life span of 30 years and features outstanding cost efficiency.

"The award is a stimulus for high-end manufacturers and has promoted small and micro companies to innovate under the increasingly developed industrial systems in China," Wang said.

Another winner, a 0.22-millimeter-thick smart cover for touchpads, known as Nums, was created by Gong Huachao, founder of Beijing-based network technology company Luckey.

Nums uses technologies including pattern recognition and ion sputtering, which can help to extend the functions of a laptop's touchpad and can connect with relevant programs, according to Gong.

This creation provides a new way of sensory input, giving laptop users more versatile options of usage.

"The invention came as a result of the inconveniences of using my laptop's keyboard in my daily life," Gong said.

For IP protection of the innovation, Gong has applied for patents and industrial designs in countries and regions including Europe, the United States and Japan.

The company has sold nearly 60,000 such covers around the world in countries including Spain and the United Kingdom, and has signed cooperation agreements with laptop manufacturers such as Lenovo and Xiaomi, Gong said.

IP protection is crucial to startups in maintaining competitiveness in international markets, he said. "It is comprehensive patent protection that can help us to cooperate with more industry insiders."

Lei Xiaoyun, director of the IP utilization promotion department at NIPA, said that high-value patents play roles in supporting industrial innovation and development.

Haidian district has created a model in organizing such a competition for promoting high-value patents, meeting the increasing demand for IP development and the construction of IP operation systems in the new era, Lei said.

"The competition is of great significance in promoting IP philosophy and increasing innovators' capabilities of IP operation. It has set an example around the country," Lei said.

Zhang Fangying, deputy head of the Haidian district IP office, said the competition is a platform to gather and demonstrate high-value patents.

"We hope the platform can help to promote more technological innovations, raise the awareness of the IP value and thus create a sound innovation ecosystem," Zhang said.(Source: China Daily)