The First Affiliated Hospital of University of South China has achieved a breakthrough in international invention patents, with two technological achievements receiving such patents.

Recently, two scientifictechnological achievements independently developed by the Department of Urology of the First Affiliated Hospital of University of South China, namely "A One-piece Waterproof Surgical Gown with Attached Shoes for Endoscopic Surgery""Pipeline RestraintFixation Patch for Surgery", received the invention patent certificates from Luxembourg, marking the hospitals first international invention patents.

International patent applications primarily follow two routes, namely the traditional Paris Convention route (single-country application)the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) route (application to PCT member states). Regardless of the route, the authorization certificate obtained in a designated country is the same, but there are also differences between the two, mainly in terms of the application methodprocess, the intellectual property protection methodthe scope of effectiveness.

At present, as the worlds second-largest economy, China is striving to transforman innovation-driven superpower. Innovation is the primary driver for technological development,patents are regarded as one of the key indicators of innovative activities. With China pursuing high-quality development through technologyinnovation, the government views intellectual property as a strategic resource for national developmenta core element of global competitiveness. In the 14th Five-Year Plan for National Intellectual Property ProtectionApplication of the State Council in 2021, it was proposed that invention patents with family patent rights overseas are one of the forms of high-value invention patents, which also serves as an important reference indicator for the evaluation of the ScienceTechnology Evaluation Metrics (STEM) of Chinese medical collegeshospitals.

These two invention patents both originated from clinical practice. With the vigorous development of minimally invasive endoscopiclaparoscopic surgery, the corresponding auxiliary items have not kept up. As a result, some new problems have emerged, thus giving rise to new demands. In response to the lag in equipmentsupporting technologies relative to technological development, the patents were finally authorized after diligent consideration, repeated deliberation,a lengthy review process, laying a solid foundation for further patent transformation.

In recent years, the Department of Urology of the First Affiliated Hospital of University of South China has successively applied for more than 30 domesticinternational patents, among which about 20 have been authorized. This breakthrough in obtaining invention patents from Luxembourg is of great significance for boosting the innovative development of the urology discipline of this hospital, promoting clinical researchthe application of high-quality patents,improving the STEM ranking of the hospital in China.