On the morning of March 25, the Department of Intellectual Property (Ministry of Science and Technology) organized a workshop to share experiences in intellectual property education for high school students in Vietnam.

The workshop emphasized the role of intellectual property in promoting innovation from an early stage, helping the younger generation exploit ideas and turn them into practical value.

Creativity in young people needs to be nurtured early.

According to research by experts from the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), creativity peaks between the ages of 12 and 20, when young people realize their talents and develop interests in certain fields.

After this age, traditional educational structures often stifle creativity by dividing subjects into specialized fields, thereby limiting young people's ability to innovate between subjects.

That is why it is necessary to introduce innovation and intellectual property into the curriculum early on to educate students. In this way, the younger generation will be empowered to develop creative thinking and learn how to exploit ideas for tangible economic benefits.

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Workshop on sharing experiences in intellectual property education for high school students. Photo: Minh Son

According to Ms. Altayework, Head of Online Training at WIPO Academy, intellectual property is not just a right or protection mechanism, it is also an aspect of creativity.

“ Today, physical assets such as land or manufacturing facilities no longer dominate our daily lives. What we consume or enjoy, be it entertainment, consumer products or medicines, are intangible assets, transformed from ideas into products, ” said a WIPO representative.

In fact, technology is driven by ideas that have been transformed into physical forms. Ideas that now have greater value and meaning than ever before.

Many excellent ideas have difficulty reaching the market or are at risk of being lost, copied without permission, etc. Without protection, innovation will be stifled.

The representative of the World Intellectual Property Organization said that innovation is the backbone of progress, and intellectual property is the best companion of innovation.

Understanding intellectual property is not only about protection but also a strategy to monetize knowledge and ideas. Knowledge of intellectual property helps people make a living from their creativity in their work.

Vietnam should introduce intellectual property knowledge into secondary education.

Sharing at the workshop, Mr. Luu Hoang Long, Director of the Department of Intellectual Property, said that along with the trend of international economic integration, intellectual property increasingly affirms its important role in promoting innovation, improving technology level and national competitiveness.

“ To develop the national intellectual property system in a synchronous and sustainable manner, the issue of intellectual property education for the young generation, especially from the high school level, is one of the necessary tasks ,” said the Director of the Intellectual Property Office.

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Director of the Department of Intellectual Property Luu Hoang Long. Photo: Minh Son

In Vietnam, in recent times, although knowledge and capacity on intellectual property have been improved in many forms, intellectual property education for high school students is still a new issue, not yet implemented systematically and regularly.

To promote innovation, the Intellectual Property Office has been implementing several propaganda activities at a number of educational institutions such as Van Chuong Primary School, Lang Thuong Primary School, Experimental Primary and Secondary School and has received many positive results.

A survey by the Intellectual Property Office of 800 students from various schools showed that the majority of primary school students (74%) and secondary school students (87%) said they had never been exposed to knowledge about intellectual property. Most of them said they were ready to accept this new knowledge.

According to Dr. Nguyen Hoang Hanh, Director of the Center for Research, Training, Support and Consultancy (Department of Intellectual Property), knowledge about intellectual property needs to be equipped, educated and trained for students right from high school level.

This expert recommends that state education management agencies should consider applying appropriate forms at all levels of education.

Innovation must contribute 3% to GDP growth Minister Nguyen Manh Hung requested that the innovation sector must contribute 3% to GDP growth, which is the main driving force to promote economic growth.