Yu Chen, deputy director general of the Shanghai Intellectual Property Administration, attends the launching ceremony of the WIPO GREEN City Acceleration Project in Shanghai. [Photo/WeChat ID: Shanghai_IPA]

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) launched its WIPO GREEN City Acceleration Project in Shanghai on Nov 5 at the Green Technology Bank.

At the launching ceremony, WIPO Assistant Director General Edward Kwakwa commended Shanghai for its leadership and achievements in green industry development, green technology innovation, and environmental protection. He noted that Shanghai has become a hub for green tech patents, with thousands of applications in renewable energy, energy conservation, and green building.

Kwakwa expressed WIPO's eagerness to deepen cooperation with China and invited companies and institutions to join WIPO GREEN in supporting Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Yu Chen, deputy director general of the Shanghai Intellectual Property Administration, congratulated the launch and emphasized the role of intellectual property in fostering green tech innovation and commercialization.

He highlighted Shanghai's efforts to build a patent database for green industries and accelerate the industrialization of cutting-edge green technologies. Shanghai plans to leverage its cooperation with WIPO to support the project and promote green innovation for the city's sustainable development.

Xie Wenlan, a senior official from the Shanghai Science and Technology Commission, said that the project marks a significant step in Shanghai's green development, as the city is striving to create a hub for green tech and expand its network of collaborators.

During the event, Professor Zhang Renhe from the Chinese Academy of Sciences delivered a keynote on climate change, and the Green Technology Bank released the project's activity plan.

Since 2013, WIPO GREEN has fostered collaboration between green tech providers and seekers. China has contributed over 9,500 technologies to the WIPO GREEN database, accounting for about 7 percent of the worldwide total.