Ministry of Economy and Tourism reviews resolution exempting student inventors, People of Determination from certain industrial property service fees

The Ministry of Economy and Tourism (MOET) reviewed Cabinet Resolution No. 136 of 2026 concerning the exemption of student inventors and People of Determination in the UAE from certain industrial property service fees.

The move comes as part of the Ministry’s efforts to enhance the country’s innovation and intellectual property (IP) ecosystem, create a supportive and stimulating environment for talent and innovators, facilitate access to IP protection services, safeguard intellectual output, and facilitate the registration and protection of industrial property rights.

Dr. Abdulrahman Hassan Al Muaini, Assistant Undersecretary for the Intellectual Property Sector at the Ministry, emphasised that the UAE has been keen to develop a comprehensive legislative and regulatory environment for the protection of industrial property rights, including patents and industrial designs, in accordance with international best practices and standards.

This is particularly evident in the issuance of the Federal Law on the Regulation and Protection of Industrial Property Rights and the strengthening of international partnerships in this field, including the UAE’s accession to the Locarno Agreement Establishing an International Classification for Industrial Designs. These efforts support the protection of intellectual property rights and create an attractive national environment for inventors, entrepreneurs and companies.

He stated, "The Cabinet resolution affirms the UAE’s vision of fostering creativity and innovation by supporting student inventors and People of Determination, enabling them to register their innovations with ease and protect their rights. This enhances their participation in the national intellectual property ecosystem, facilitates their access to its services, and enables them to benefit from its enablers, thereby contributing to consolidating the UAE’s position as a global hub for creativity and the new economy."

He added, "The Ministry continues its efforts to develop the digital infrastructure for the IP services ecosystem, including patent, industrial design and utility certificate services. This enhances the efficiency of the services provided, contributes to accelerating the procedures for registering and protecting intellectual property rights, and provides a more seamless and flexible experience for inventors, innovators and business owners, in alignment with the objectives of the ‘We the UAE 2031’ vision."

MOET began implementing the resolution on 14th September, 2026, providing a full exemption from fees for 29 services. These include 11 services benefiting student inventors and People of Determination, including applications for patent registration, industrial design registration, integrated circuit layouts, utility certificates, first substantive examination of a utility certificate, substantive re-examination of a utility certificate, publication of registration, and payment of the annual fees for the second, third, fourth and fifth years of industrial property protection. The original fees for these services range from Dhs100 to Dhs1,000.

Additionally, the resolution provides exemptions from fees for nine additional services for People of Determination, with the original fees ranging from Dhs1,000 to Dhs9,000. It also provides fee exemptions for nine additional services for student inventors, with the original fees ranging from Dhs500 to Dhs4,500. This contributes to reducing the cost of protecting innovations and encouraging students and People of Determination to protect their innovations and the outputs of their research projects and transform them into industrial property assets with potential for further development and investment.

MOET recorded a 9 per cent increase in the number of patent applications submitted during the first half of 2026 compared to the same period in 2025, while the total number of patent applications during 2025 reached approximately 4,361.

Utility certificate applications also recorded growth of 21.43 per cent during the first half of 2026 compared to the same period in 2025.

The total number of applications for patents, utility certificates and industrial designs registered in the country has reached 22,184 to date, reflecting the growing interest among innovators and companies in protecting industrial property rights and benefiting from them.

WAM