Iran Set to Join BRICS Intellectual Property Offices Summit: A New Era of Global Collaboration!
In a significant development for the realm of intellectual property, the Iranian Intellectual Property Center is set to participate in the upcoming Heads of BRICS Intellectual Property Offices (HIPO) Meeting. This virtual event will take place from December 1 to 5, 2025, in Brazil. The participation of Iranian experts in specialized areas such as patents, industrial designs, and trademarks underscores Iran’s commitment to enhancing its intellectual property framework and collaboration with other BRICS nations.
The HIPO Meeting aims to bring together representatives from the national intellectual property offices of BRICS member states, fostering an environment for knowledge sharing, expertise exchange, and strengthening multilateral cooperation. Key topics for discussion include:
- New methods for patent classification
- International standards for information registration and exchange
- Integration of artificial intelligence in patent examination and registration
- Guidelines for evaluating medical patents
This meeting represents a pivotal opportunity for Iran to align its intellectual property strategies with international standards and best practices.
Iran’s Position in the Global Innovation Index
In related news, the 18th edition of the Global Innovation Index (GII) report has been released, showcasing Iran’s standing in the innovation landscape. The Islamic Republic of Iran has maintained its position as the second-ranking country in the Central and South Asian region, a status it has held for the past three years.
The GII 2025 evaluates innovation performance across 139 economies and highlights the world’s leading 100 innovation clusters. This comprehensive report tracks global innovation trends by analyzing investment patterns, technological advancements, adoption rates, and socioeconomic impacts.
According to the latest report, Iran ranks:
- 70th among 139 economies, a slight drop from its previous rank of 64th in 2024
- 17th among 36 upper-middle-income economies
- 5th among 38 lower-middle-income economies in 2024
The GII provides a structured approach to ranking global economies based on their innovation capabilities. It utilizes around 80 indicators, which are categorized into innovation inputs and outputs, to capture the multifaceted nature of innovation.
Trends in Iran’s Innovation Performance
The 2025 edition of the GII indicates that over the past six years (2020-2025), Iran’s ranking has fluctuated within a statistical confidence interval of ranks 56 to 75. Notably, Iran is performing better in innovation outputs than inputs this year. Specific rankings include:
- 109th in innovation inputs, which is a decline from 85th last year
- 46th in innovation outputs, an improvement from 48th last year
Furthermore, the report highlights significant changes in various indicators, with five showing improvement and five indicating declines:
- Improved indicators: International patent filings, Connectivity, Robots, Labor productivity, Life expectancy
- Declined indicators: Scientific publications, Research and Development (R&D) investments, Venture capital deals, Fixed broadband, Temperature change
Among the various categories, Iran has excelled in:
- Creative outputs (ranked 45th)
- Knowledge and technology outputs (ranked 46th)
- Human capital and research (ranked 66th)
However, there are areas where Iran needs improvement, including:
- Institutions (ranked 138th)
- Business sophistication (ranked 107th)
- Infrastructure (ranked 98th)
Notably, Iran performs above the average for upper-middle-income countries in several areas, such as:
- Human capital and research: Iran’s score is 32.43 compared to the upper-middle-income average of 29.7
- Knowledge and technology outputs: Iran’s score is 27.46 against an average of 20.0
- Creative outputs: Iran scores 31.87, while the average is 22.6
Published by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the GII report also highlights Iran’s achievements in various categories:
- First in market capitalization
- Second in trademarks by origin
- Fifth in software spending
- Sixth in gross capital formation
- And several other notable rankings in fields like labor productivity growth and industrial designs by origin
This comprehensive analysis of Iran’s position in the GII reflects the ongoing developments and challenges within the country’s innovation ecosystem. The participation in the HIPO meeting and the insights from the GII report are crucial for shaping future policies and strategies in Iran’s intellectual property domain.