Wednesday 05 / November / 2025
Muscat; The Regional Meeting for Technology and Innovation Support Centers (TISCs) for Arab States began today in Muscat.
The meeting is organized by the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion in cooperation with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), with the participation of representatives from Arab countries and a number of experts and specialists in intellectual property, scientific research, and innovation.
The meeting programme included several sessions, during which the latest developments in WIPO's TISC program were reviewed, along with the experiences of countries in establishing and managing their TISC networks. Discussions also covered the technical, infrastructure, administrative, and financial aspects supporting these centers.
The sessions featured extensive discussions on mechanisms for building national capacities and enhancing cooperation among research, academic, and industrial institutions, in addition to a session presenting the Arab League's perspective on innovation protection and intellectual property policies in the region.
The meeting will continue its work tomorrow (Thursday) to discuss the Regional Action Plan for TISCs in Arab States, review methods for future cooperation and exchange of experiences, and present a session on the new support packages offered by WIPO to these centers, in preparation for adopting joint recommendations that contribute to consolidating the innovation ecosystem in the region.
Nusra Sultan Al Habsi, Director General of Trade at the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion, emphasized that the Sultanate of Oman's hosting of this meeting reflects a firm commitment to enhancing the intellectual property system and supporting the innovation environment, in alignment with the directions of "Oman Vision 2040" aimed at building a knowledge-based economy.
She explained that cooperation with WIPO since the signing of the agreement in 2021 has contributed to expanding the network of TISCs in the Sultanate of Oman and providing qualitative services that enable researchers and innovators to access global knowledge resources and develop projects with economic value.
For her part, Dr. Maha Bakheit, Director of the Legal Affairs Department and the Intellectual Property Unit at the Arab League, clarified that regional cooperation among TISCs in Arab countries will create opportunities to support capabilities and transfer knowledge and technical practices in this field.
She pointed out that the meeting allowed participants to exchange expertise on developing national TISC networks, noting that there is an increasing positive transformation in Arab countries regarding the establishment of national TISC networks in cooperation with WIPO, aiming to incorporate them into the intellectual property and innovation strategies of Arab countries.
In turn, Eng. Khalid Hamoud Al Hinai, Director of the National Intellectual Property Office at the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion, said that this meeting represents an opportunity to enhance capabilities in patent searching and utilizing its results to support innovative projects. He noted that these events affirm the Sultanate of Oman's interest in building an environment conducive to scientific research, protecting innovations and inventions through the intellectual property system, and providing advanced technical and knowledge tools that help innovators, institutions, and scientific research centers develop their projects and protect their intellectual property.
Meanwhile, Faisal Ali Al Hinai, Deputy Head of the Sultanate of Oman's Mission to the World Trade Organization, clarified that the Regional Meeting for TISCs for Arab States is a regional event for coordinating initiatives and strengthening technical cooperation between WIPO and Arab countries, and an opportunity to enhance the bonds of cooperation between the Sultanate of Oman, WIPO, and other regional development partners, stressing the Sultanate of Oman's interest in benefiting from international expertise to serve national development priorities.
Growth indicators in the intellectual property system in the Sultanate of Oman point to a noticeable increase in innovation activity. The total number of filed national patent applications and Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) patents reached approximately 8,837 patents by the end of the third quarter of 2025, reflecting the development of policies supporting research and development in the Sultanate of Oman and the focus on promoting the knowledge economy.
The Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion is continuously working to develop the institutional structure of the intellectual property system and support innovation, facilitate patent registration procedures, provide technical support and consultancy services, expand the TISC network in universities and scientific research centers, and implement specialized and qualitative training programs to build national capacities in intellectual property and innovation support.
It is noteworthy that this event coincided with the conclusion of the National Training Workshop on Patent Search organized on November 3rd and 4th, aimed at developing the capabilities of national personnel and enhancing the culture of intellectual property, protection, and innovation support.
