Phnom Penh, 30 March 2023: Professor Hidetoshi Nishimura, President of the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA), signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with Cambodia’s  Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology & Innovation (MISTI) and the Japan Patent Office (JPO) on 30 March 2023 in Phnom Penh. H.E. Setta Pandita Cham Prasidh, Senior Minister and Minister of MISTI, and Commissioner Koichi Hamano represented MISTI and JPO, respectively.

The Memorandum of Cooperation is to confirm mutual understanding and cooperation in the field of intellectual property rights (IPR) amongst MISTI, JPO, and ERIA. Considering the growing digital economy, securing innovations through IPR such as patents and utility models is necessary to enhance research and development capabilities. IPR is considered a key factor in producing innovative and distinguished businesses in Cambodia.

Under the Memorandum of Cooperation, MISTI, JPO, and ERIA will further strengthen technical cooperation in the field of IPR research. For its part, ERIA will conduct a research project on securing research achievements through IPR and providing IPR education.