UAE launches ‘Green Intellectual Property’ roadmap

The UAE Ministry of Economy launched a roadmap on Thursday for "Green Intellectual Property (IP)" designed to foster innovation, accelerate technology localisation, and develop new projects in the new economy, environmental sustainability, and circular economy.

The three-month roadmap will strengthen the competitiveness of the UAE's IP landscape and contribute to its progress and prosperity, supporting the country's directives to transition to a circular economy.

Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy and Chairman of the UAE Circular Economy Council, said, "The UAE has succeeded in adopting qualitative initiatives and projects for the intellectual property sector, positioning it as one of the key pillars for building a strong and sustainable national economy."

Al Marri added the roadmap is a new step to raise awareness on the importance of adopting green technology and innovation to provide superior services and products that serve the community, as well as enhancing the UAE's attractiveness to green and sustainable innovations, in line with the We the UAE 2031 vision.

He added, "The new roadmap for Green IP is particularly important as it coincides with the launch of this year's Innovation Month. We will collaborate with local environmental stakeholders in the country and the World Intellectual Property Organisation to implement all the objectives of this roadmap, providing more enablers and opportunities to motivate inventors and creators to develop sustainable innovations and projects in critical economic areas and sectors."

Abdulla Ahmed Al Saleh, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Economy, highlighted that sustainability and environmental conservation have always remained an integral aspect of the UAE's cultural fabric throughout its history. 

He stated that the Ministry of Economy remains committed to supporting national projects aimed at promoting sustainability across various economic sectors, in line with the UAE's vision to build a sustainable and well-balanced economy that protects natural resources for future generations.

He said, at a press briefing, "The new roadmap for Green IP aims to promote the adoption of leading digital solutions and advanced technology by individuals, organisations, and companies to produce sustainable products and services that contribute to environmental conservation. Following this roadmap, we are keen to forge new partnerships with the academia and research centres to integrate IP into sustainable innovations and protect the rights of eco-friendly projects and innovations."

The Undersecretary continued, "This roadmap plays a vital role in fostering innovation and creativity in sustainable sectors, bolstering the UAE's competitiveness and elevating its standing in key global indicators, particularly in the Global Innovation Index (GII), where the UAE consistently maintains its regional and international prominence year after year."

Furthermore, he highlighted the new roadmap's key objectives that the Ministry seeks to accomplish, including the introduction of a programme that will accelerate the registration of patents related to sustainable technologies and eco-friendly innovations. The aim is to raise the percentage of patent registrations for sustainable and environmental innovations to eight per cent of the total number of patent registrations in the country.

The roadmap will strengthen the legal frameworks for protecting patents related to environmental sustainability, particularly given the continued growth in the number of patent applications submitted in the country, which reached approximately 3,622 in 2024.

Al Saleh emphasised the UAE's accomplishments in establishing a robust and competitive legislative framework to foster the growth of this crucial sector. This framework encompasses the issuance of laws on the Protection of Industrial Property Rights, Trademarks, and Copyrights and Neighbouring Rights.

The UAE is currently among the top countries globally in terms of IP and innovation, ranking first in the region in the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2024.