Claudia Villalobos
Innate creativity is a hallmark of polytechnic education. Everyone who studies in the classrooms, workshops, and laboratories of this institution, as well as those who educate the next generation of professionals, acquire the deep-rooted spirit of innovation and the spark of creative genius.
Through its curriculum map, the Instituto Politécnico Nacional fosters inventive capacity starting from the Middle High School. Often, all it takes is a few materials, some resources, and a lot of talent to develop the first technological and scientific contributions.
In subsequent levels, thanks to curriculum maps that drive scientific and technological innovation, guided by professors and specialists conducting high-level research, many young individuals develop an interest in becoming generators of innovations that even have the potential to become commercial products.
Academic excellence is reflected in the quality of inventions generated at the Politécnico. Classroom projects, final prototypes, postgraduate research, and developments undertaken by the cadre of established scientists constitute a vast reservoir, a significant percentage of which is subject to legal protection through various mechanisms such as patents, utility models, industrial designs, copyright, layout design, and plant breeder's rights, among others.
The current era presents new challenges and demands a process of innovation and greater knowledge, in which the Politécnico assumes an increasingly prominent role in scientific and technological development. Therefore, to promote a culture of innovation protection and its direct application to the nation's needs, this educational institution established the Directorate of Business Services and Technology Transfer (DSETT).
Facing the significant challenge of maturing patented technologies to a level that attracts investment from companies and, through their transfer, contributes to society, the IPN has the Knowledge Transfer Office (OTC).
This department serves as a bridge between polytechnic inventors, the Office of the General Counsel - which serves as the legal representative of the IPN - those interested in acquiring polytechnic technologies, and the federal agencies authorized for the registration, legal protection, and maintenance of intellectual property rights: the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property (IMPI), the National Institute of Copyright (Indautor), and the National Service for Seed Inspection and Certification (SNICS).
Because the Instituto Politécnico Nacional conducts scientific and technological research aimed at innovative projects that contribute to solving social problems, the institution ranks second among higher education institutions in terms of patent applications at the national level.
In this regard, the General Director of this educational institution, Arturo Reyes Sandoval, has stated that the Politécnico is an institution that constantly patents. "We know that the key and where we must go is the licensing of these patents, which will come to light through companies or startups."
Although color television is not an invention patented by the Politécnico, it is a worldwide contribution made by the graduate of the Escuela Superior de Ingeniería Mecánica y Eléctrica (ESIME), Guillermo González Camarena, who has served as an inspiration for many polytechnic students. As a result, an increasing number of them approach the relevant authorities to protect their inventions.
As of the second quarter of 2023, the IPN holds 242 valid patents. 150 of these pertain to Engineering and Physical-Mathematical Sciences, 80 originate from units related to Medical and Biological Sciences, one falls under the category of Social Sciences and Administration, and 11 belong to interdisciplinary units.
In the face of the rapid transformation of knowledge, the Instituto Politécnico Nacional also evolves, advances with determination, and proudly displays the spark of creative genius in addressing the challenges posed by this process.
Protected under the industrial secret scheme, the indelible pigmentor, better known as ink, is an invention by the scientist from the Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas (ENCB), Filiberto Vázquez Dávila. This innovation has become a polytechnic contribution that safeguards the single vote, strengthening the democratic life of Mexico since 1994, as well as in Latin American countries like Nicaragua, Honduras, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Haiti, and Guatemala, and in Africa, where it has reached with the assistance of the United Nations (UN).
A notable contribution by the Instituto Politécnico Nacional, which has impacted the health of thousands of people with immunological conditions both nationally and internationally, is the Transferon Oral®, a dialyzable extract of human leukocytes patented by the IPN in Mexico and 36 other countries, including the United States, Canada, and the European Union. As a result, individuals with allergic and autoimmune diseases, recurring infections, and those undergoing chemotherapy have strengthened their immune response and improved their quality of life. Innovation in this product continues with the development of novel immunomodulatory peptides for use in humans, companion animals, and commercially valuable species, for which there are two more international patent applications.
Gaceta Politécnica #1739. (August 31st, 2023). IPN Imagen Institucional: Read the full magazine in Spanish here
INSTITUTO POLITÉCNICO NACIONAL
D.R. Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN). Av. Luis Enrique Erro S/N, Unidad Profesional Adolfo López Mateos, Zacatenco, Alcaldía Gustavo A. Madero, C.P. 07738, Ciudad de México. Conmutador: 55 57 29 60 00 / 55 57 29 63 00.
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