Technology innovation is a major driver of economic development. In Asia, advances in research and development activities are gaining pace. A good example is Huawei, a technology company from China. Long-term investment in R&D activities has made Huawei one of the largest patent holders in the world. The resulting diversity and impact of Huawei’s innovations provide valuable lessons as companies and policymakers look for sustained paths of technological advancements. Huawei’s experience is particularly relevant for ASEAN countries as they strive to move up the technological ladder.
In this panel, Huawei International and the Asia Competitiveness Institute (ACI), Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, NUS jointly present the stories behind Huawei’s innovations and their impact across the world.
Mr David Wang, the Director of the Asia Pacific Intellectual Property Department of Huawei Technologies, will share Huawei’s innovation journey and its experience in managing its technological innovations.
Dr Zhang Chi, Research Fellow from Asia Competitiveness Institute, will showcase a descriptive study conducted by ACI researchers based on the latest patent data, presenting key indicators measuring the coverage and influence of Huawei’s recent patents across geographical areas and technological fields. A comparison between Huawei and its competitors will also be shown.
This analysis of Huawei's IP protection activities finds that Huawei's patent filing activity spans nearly all patent offices worldwide and across most technology fields. While having an emphasis on Asia and North America, Huawei has a growing number of overseas innovation partners. Among the diversified technology fields, electrical engineering has been the key area driving patent activities in the others.
ACI's forward citation analysis shows that Huawei's patents significantly impact the surrounding regions through knowledge spillovers. Its patents in electrical engineering are widely adopted in developing technology in instruments, chemistry and mechanical engineering.
The panel will be moderated by Professor Paul Cheung, Professor of Practice at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy and former Director of the United Nations Statistics Division.