VISAKHAPATNAM : Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday met World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Director General Daren Tang to explore ways to secure international recognition for innovation, research and creativity in the State and enhance awareness of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) among startups and entrepreneurs.

The Chief Minister arrived in Visakhapatnam ahead of the two-day CII Partnership Summit, scheduled to begin on Thursday and held series of meetings.

As part of these engagements, he met the WIPO Director General Daren Tang and discussed opportunities for institutional collaboration.The discussions focused on establishing a WIPO–Andhra Pradesh Academy and conducting joint programmes to provide training on Intellectual Property Rights, patents, trademarks, industrial designs and technology protection to students, researchers, startup founders and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).

Naidu sought WIPO’s support in securing Geographical Indication (GI) tags for the State’s handloom products, handicrafts and other local products. He also requested assistance in expanding markets for existing GI-tagged products and taking their quality standards and branding to the international level.

He said the State Government is encouraging young entrepreneurs and supporting startup companies through the Ratan Tata Innovation Hub. He invited WIPO to work closely with the State Government to further strengthen the startup ecosystem and provide greater impetus to innovation.