Recently, the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) announced the list of the 25th China Patent Awards winners, and the invention patent “A Device and Method to Automatically Lay Fiberglass Cloth for Wind Turbine Blades” held by professor ZHANG Lei’an from SDUT won the “National Honorable Award”.
This invention provides a device and method to automatically lay fiberglass cloth for wind turbine blades, which has solved existing problems in the laying and cutting methods of fiberglass cloth for wind turbine blades, such as low production efficiency, high variability in accuracy, and high labor intensity, and so on. To better protect the patent right, the patent holder together with the research team has taken a series of measures, including patent rights protection, construction of patent portfolios, and overseas patent layout strategies, etc. These have enhanced protection efficacy and brought about substantial economic and social benefits.
The National Intellectual Property Administration of China and the World Intellectual Property Organization jointly issued the China Patent Awards, which encourages the creation and application of high-quality patents. This is the only government-sponsored award in China, which specifically recognizes patented inventions and innovations, and it is the nation’s highest-level patent award and the top honor in the field of Intellectual Property. Presently, the awards include two categories: one is the series of China Patent Gold Award, Silver Award, and Honorable Award, the other is the China Design Gold Award, Silver Award, and Honorable Award. The criteria for the China Patent Award not only emphasize the technological level and innovation of the patent projects, but also attach great importance to their protection status and application in the process of market transformation. The patent quality and benefits reflected by the China Patent Award best demonstrate the independent innovation capabilities of China’s universities.
In recent years, SDUT has closely aligned with “high-quality development” and taken various measures to strengthen patent quality control while continuously innovating in Intellectual Property management and utilization. Notable progress has been achieved in cultivating and commercializing high-value patents, and the patent competitiveness has also been steadily enhanced. This patent award fully demonstrates SDUT’s capabilities and influence in scientific research innovation and IP protection.