He urged the organisation to help improve the branding, quality standards and international market reach of products that have already received GI recognition.

Visakhapatnam:Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has sought a strategic partnership with the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) to protect local innovations, improve intellectual property awareness and take Andhra Pradesh products to global markets.

Ahead of the CII Partnership Summit in Visakhapatnam, Naidu met WIPO director general Daren Tang and discussed cooperation in intellectual property rights (IPR), innovation, research and entrepreneurship.

A proposal was to establish a WIPO Andhra Pradesh Academy to train students, researchers, startup founders and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in intellectual property rights, patents, trademarks, industrial designs and technology protection.

Naidu also sought WIPO's support in securing Geographical Indication (GI) tags for the state's handlooms, handicrafts and traditional products. He urged the organisation to help improve the branding, quality standards and international market reach of products that have already received GI recognition.

Highlighting the state's efforts to promote innovation, Naidu said Andhra Pradesh was supporting startups through initiatives such as the Ratan Tata Innovation Hub. He invited WIPO to work with the government to strengthen the startup ecosystem.

The chief minister outlined the state's plan to build a knowledge-driven economy through investments in quantum computing, artificial intelligence, green energy, space technology and natural farming. He said AP was preparing its youth for emerging technologies and using technology-enabled governance to improve public service delivery.

Daren Tang appreciated AP’s efforts to organise global investment and industrial summits, saying such platforms helped raise awareness of opportunities across sectors. He also referred to the Amaravati Quantum Valley initiative and the state's focus on future-oriented industries.

Naidu told the WIPO chief that the government aimed to transform 10 lakh women into entrepreneurs and was promoting products made by women under the 'Swayam' brand. He invited WIPO to collaborate with the state in supporting women-led enterprises and entrepreneurship initiatives.

The meeting also discussed aligning WIPO programmes with AP’s development initiatives and its goal of developing the Amaravati-Visakhapatnam corridor into one of the world's top 100 science and technology clusters by 2029.



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