Research on the Patent Application Funding Policy in China: A Case Study of Fujian Province

Since 1999, the majority areas of China implemented the patent application funding policies by the public financial assistance. This paper used Fujian province policy as an example, to analysis its history, examine its impact on the number of patent application and grants, and to investigate results from the implementation of the IP offices and applicants, the study found that: (1) patent application funding policy have an important role in promoting the number of patent applications and grants; (2) the attitudes of the IP offices have no necessary link to the funding fee; (3) the applicants want to expand the types of funding, the demand for the funding fee is not the more the better. Therefore, we suggest that: (1) to make the provincial patent application funding fee as the funding cost, the amount of local governments as the rewards, according to the local economic development situation to set the number. (2) To change the funding types from domestic invention grants to domestic invention application and utility mode grants. (3) To set the invention application funding fee as 5,000 RMB, utility mode grants funding fee as the actual costs.