Description

Cleantech innovation is critical for a country to effectively address climate change and build sustainable development. Since the 1970s, the global community has been emphasizing transferring cleantech from developed countries to developing countries, since the former owns the majority of the existing cleantech and the latter needs cleantech. This emphasis has produced limited results.

This article proposes that the global community meanwhile supports developing countries to establish their own cleantech innovation systems. The article further proposes that such purposeful support may come in forms of international aid and mutually beneficial international cleantech cooperation. International aid is to help, e.g., the least developed countries, to build basic domestic capacities for cleantech innovation and cleantech importation. Mutually beneficial international cleantech cooperation is to help developing countries that have acquired such capacities to move further along toward domestic cleantech innovation. For domestic cleantech innovation, the article suggests that, in principle, a developing country should send clear policy signals to its private sector to indicate the government’s long-term commitment to cleantech innovation. The article further suggests that the government should leverage diverse innovation tools, including customized intellectual property right (IPR) regimes and non-IPR tools such as prizes and innovation commons.

About The Speaker

Assistant Professor Xiang’s research focuses on exploring ways to enhance innovation and collaboration. Her teaching includes U.S. and International IP Systems, Patent Law, and IP Management. Prof Xiang was educated in the U.S. in law, public policies, technology entrepreneurship, and computer science. Prior to joining PKU-STL, Prof Xiang taught at University of Washington School of Law as an adjunct professor and Illinois Institute of Technology Chicago-Kent College of Law as an IP fellow. Prof Xiang also worked in or for the U.S. technology industries for fifteen years, in roles such as software engineer and program manager for Motorola, IP attorney representing various organizations and inventors, and in-house counsel for Microsoft. Her technological expertise included software engineering and computer operating system optimization. Her legal expertise included global patent practice and patent portfolio management. She also worked on complex patent litigation, patent cross-licensing, and IP policy review.