IP in India’s Startup and Academic Ecosystem: Numbers vs Value

* Making IP concepts accessible and relevant for non-IP professionals.

India has made significant progress in encouraging intellectual property (IP) creation. Startups and educational institutions are filing more patents and trademarks than ever before. On the surface, this reflects a growing innovation ecosystem.

However, volume alone does not equal value.

The Current Situation

For many startups and academic institutions, IP filing is often driven by:

• The need to demonstrate innovation to investors, incubators, or accreditation bodies

• Eligibility for government grants, tax rebates, and filing subsidies

• Compliance with policy-driven metrics and ranking frameworks

While these drivers have increased participation, they have also encouraged a numbers-first mindset.

The Quality Challenge

A significant portion of IP filings today face challenges such as:

• Limited technical depth and narrow problem framing

• Claims disconnected from real products or deployable research

• Little to no assessment of market relevance or freedom to operate

As a result, many patents remain inactive assets—cost centers rather than value drivers.

The Question of Intent

This raises an important question:
Is IP being filed to create long-term value, or simply to show that IP exists?

In many cases, patents become:

• Slideware for pitch decks

• Checkboxes for grant compliance

• Reporting metrics for institutions

Instead of tools for protection, leverage, or monetization.

Policy Incentives: Helpful, but Not Sufficient

Government initiatives have played a crucial role in democratizing access to IP. However, incentives focused primarily on filing volume risk reinforcing short-term behavior. The ecosystem now needs to evolve from encouraging participation to enabling impact.

Creating Real IP Value

True IP value is created when:

• Filings are aligned with product roadmaps or commercialization plans

• Research outputs are translated into protectable, deployable solutions

• IP is evaluated for strategic relevance, not just patentability

• Startups and institutions understand how IP supports revenue, partnerships, and differentiation

This requires early IP thinking, stronger industry-academia collaboration, and guidance that goes beyond filing mechanics.

Novaro IP’s Perspective

At Novaro IP, we work with startups and educational institutions to shift IP thinking from compliance-driven filings to value-driven strategy. Our focus is on creating IP that is commercially relevant, strategically aligned, and capable of supporting growth—so innovation translates into lasting impact, not just numbers.