The national science, technology and innovation STI system in Syria consists of several universities and research centers in addition to technological productive and service, and intermediate and supporting institutions. However, this system suffers from weak relationship, interconnection, cooperation and coordination among its components for various reasons, assuring the need for building solid structures for technology transfer.

On the other hand, there is no doubt that one of the initial and necessary steps in order to invest in scientific research outputs is to protect their intellectual property (IP). In fact, there is no unified system in Syria for protecting IPs, and official responsibility for it is divided between two entities; the Directorate for Commercial and Industrial Property Protection, which is affiliated with the Ministry of Internal Trade and Consumer Protection, and the Copyright Protection Department, which is affiliated with the Ministry of Culture. Nevertheless, this role is absent at universities and other research centers, where there is no formal intellectual property policies. Hence, there is an eminent need to strengthen the ecosystem for IP protection, including the direct institutions responsible for IP granting, as well as the recognition and adherence of researchers and university students to the IP granting rules.

In this regard, the higher commission for scientific research HCSR has recently prepared an invaluable guide, entitled “A Guiding Procedures for Protecting and Investing in Scientific Research Outputs“, which primarily targets our researchers and graduate students at Syrian universities and research centers, to facilitate their acquaintance with the applicable and closely related laws and decisions collected in this guide, and to enhance the protection of intellectual property for their research outputs in preparation for investing in them and building a knowledge-based society.

The guide highlights the research outputs that researchers can protect, the procedures that must be followed in order to protect the intellectual property of these outputs, and some of the procedures for investing in them, relying in all of this on the laws, decisions and procedures in force in the Syrian Arab Republic. Additionally, the guide provides our distinguished researchers and graduate students at Syrian universities with an accurate and detailed description of the procedures that they must follow to protect and preserve the IPs of their research outputs, in preparation for their optimal investment, and strengthening national knowledge-based economy.

Finally, the guide has been divided into two chapters: the first is concerned with protecting the intellectual property of types of research outputs, and the second is concerned with investing in them. In this guide, we have also adopted the classification of scientific research outcomes into three types: applied idea – applied protocol – and prototype.

Note: the guide was prepared by Ms. Lamees Ismael, the executive director of the Syrian Journal for Science and innovation.