PMU partners with NAI to launch the prestigious International Patent Award; recognizing inventors whose ideas can positively impact society.

AL-KHOBAR, EASTERN PROVINCE, SAUDI ARABIA, May 28, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- From fire in prehistory, to the wheel in antiquity, and on through the microprocessor in modernity, inventions have empowered our species’ progress. To help kindle this spirit of innovation as humanity faces immense challenges in the unfolding 21st century, Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University (PMU) has partnered with the National Academy of Inventors (NAI) to create the PMU-National Academy of Inventors International Patent Award.

This award will commend scientists, research institutions, research centers, and universities for their exceptional inventions and patents that are expected to positively impact worldwide society. In this way, the distinguished award is inclusively international in its reach, welcoming applications from inventors at the hundreds of NAI member institutions spread across five continents.

"The PMU-National Academy of Inventors International Patent Award will serve as a platform that celebrates innovation and recognizes the groundbreaking work of inventors worldwide," said Dr. Issa Al Ansari, President of PMU.

"As we have long said at PMU, 'creative minds transform the world',” Dr. Al Ansari continued, “and the unveiling of this new award will bring extra deserved attention to the profound roles that creativity


Fetching and Realizing Big Ideas

inventors who have been issued patents from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) within the past five years. PMU and NAI will select an invention that, after conceptual transfer for commercial product generation and scale-up as needed, will plausibly benefit society in tangible and important ways. This transfer-and-scale element of the award is essential, as a significant percentage of otherwise excellent ideas cannot be practically and economically implemented.

To provide vital funding to support the eventual commercialization of the inventors' patented technologies, the winners of the PMU-National Academy of Inventors International Patent Award will receive cash prizes. The 1st place awardee or awardees will receive $25,000; 2nd place will receive $15,000; and 3rd place will receive $10,000.

As a culmination of the PMU-National Academy of Inventors International Patent Award, its recipients will be honored in a prestigious ceremony to be held in late 2024 at PMU's beautiful campus in Al-Khobar in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The event will bring together the

awarded innovators with other inventors from around the world, alongside university research faculty and industry leaders, among other luminaries. Such a gathering will foster a vibrant atmosphere of celebration and intellectual exchange, in keeping with the major theme at PMU of cultivating ingenuity and resourcefulness.

“PMU is distinguishing itself with our emphasis on imbuing the university with a culture of innovation,” said Dr. Al Ansari. “We embrace inventiveness and experimentation that can deliver key new insights for human prosperity while also promoting responsible stewardship of our planet.”


A Culture of Innovation

The PMU-National Academy of Inventors International Patent Award is indeed the latest in a line of successful efforts to position PMU as a major driver of invention in the region and globally. A significant milestone in these efforts was the university’s establishment of a Patent Center in 2020 under the Deanship of Research. The Patent Center has since supported the protection of creative scholarly activities, innovation, and discoveries involving faculty, staff, students, and others participating in PMU programs by aiding researchers in effectively filing complete and robust patent applications.

Another milestone was reached two years ago when the Patent Center inaugurated the first Local chapter of the NAI in the Middle East. A United States-based non-profit organization, NAI has over 4600 individual inventor members affiliated with more than 300 institutions around the world, including universities, governmental agencies, and non-profit research institutes. The goals of NAI include enhancing recognition and encouragement of inventors by boosting public interest and awareness of academic technology and innovation, and overall highlighting the benefits of inventions by members for global society.

In accordance with these goals, the NAI Local Chapter at PMU continues to work with students, faculty, and affiliates of the university who have patents registered by the USPTO. Since the founding of the Patent Center, the number of secured patents has skyrocketed from eight in 2020 to 23 in mid-2022, and now 74 just two years later. In NAI’s annual Top 100 Worldwide Universities Granted Utility Patents report for 2023, PMU ranked 88th among institutions globally. The patents pertain to a diverse set of scientific fields including electrical, civil, and mechanical engineering, as in the energy sector and artificial intelligence.

Overall, the spirit of human invention remains alive and well at PMU and through its partnership with NAI in bestowing recognition and honor on global innovators.

“Inventions and patents have a transformative power in engendering positive impact on society,” said Dr. Al Ansari. “We look forward to continuing to support the broader community of inventors in Saudi Arabia and other nations of the Earth as we all strive collectively to shape a better future.”

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