China to have over 1m IP professionals by 2025

BEIJING — China will intensify efforts toward cultivating intellectual property (IP) talent, the country's top IP regulator said on March 30, adding that the country plans to achieve the goal of having more than 1 million IP professionals by 2025.

Talent is the most basic and key element for building a strong IP power, said Feng Zhaolong, a first-class inspector of the National Intellectual Property Administration, at a press conference.

The official added that the number of IP professionals in China has reached 690,000, and more than 50 universities nationwide have established IP colleges, providing strong support for the industry's development.

Education is necessary for rapid talent growth. Sun Wei, an official in charge of IP training, said nearly 2 million students from 1,400 primary and middle schools in China have received IP-related education.

A total of 165 schools have been identified as national level IP pilot schools, Sun added, noting that there are thousands of trained full- and part-time teachers nationwide and several relevant textbooks have been published.

Highlighting the use of online learning platforms, Sun said the administration has developed 24 online platforms to offer more than 570 courses, receiving over 9 million visits.

To further promote online education, the administration will work with Chinese social media platforms to popularize IP knowledge and introduce high-quality foreign courses for the young Chinese, Sun added.