Seventeen years running, at the end of June our country marks a beautiful and significant professional holiday - Inventor’s and Rationalizer’s Day established by Presidential Decree of the Republic of Moldova no. 193 of 19.06.1995.

This event is organized by the State Agency on Intellectual Property (AGEPI) and the Union of Inventors and Rationalizers “Inovatorul” (UIR).

On this occasion, on June 29, 2012, in the premises of the National Confederation of Trade Unions was held a festive meeting attended by representatives of the central public authorities, Academy of Sciences of Moldova, researchers, inventors and rationalizers, representatives of higher education institutions, patent attorneys, known personalities in the field of research and innovation and entrepreneurship, which summed up the results achieved in the innovation sphere.

Traditionally, in the festive meeting AGEPI rewards the winners of the Contest “Invention of the Year” which is organized annually to popularize, promote and stimulate innovative activity of inventors in our country.

To the eighth edition of this year were submitted 12 applications. Following the examination of the submitted files, the Organization Committee has designated the following winners:

a) in the nomination “Invention of Year-2011”: Nicolae Popescu, Ana Coretchi, Andrei Furdui, Victor Popescu, Valeria Tanas, for the invention “Process for execution of cast-in-situ construction, complex of cast-in-situ constructions and technical equipment for its realization”;

b) prizes and praising diplomas: Eugen Iorga, for the invention “Process for processing of grape seed”; Ludmila Batir, for the invention Bromo-{3 - [(2-hydroxy-5-nitro-benzylidene)-amino]-propane-1,2-dihydroxy}(1-)copper and Process for cultivation of Spirulina platentis cyanobacterium; Dumitru Grini, for the invention “Model of electrified particle accelerator”;

c) in the nomination “Invention of the Year Created by a Young Inventor”, the Organizing Committee has not given any prize, the reason being the shortage of applications.

Winners received cash prizes, awarded by AGEPI, worth of 5 thousand and one thousand lei respectively.

Also, it became a tradition that during the celebration be summed up the results of the activity on patenting and registration of IP objects and the achievements of inventors of the Republic of Moldova for the space of the last year.

It should be noted that during 2011 AGEPI received 108 patent applications (PI) and 182 - short-term patent applications (STPI). Most applications for PI (101) and all applications for STPI were submitted under the national procedure. Foreign applicants filed in total 15 patent applications, of which directly to AGEPI were submitted 4 PI and STPI applications each. Under the PCT procedure were submitted seven PI applications, with 3 more than in 2010. The increased interest of national applicants in STPI is generated by the more simplified, faster and less expensive procedure compared to the protection by PI. Thus, 63% of applicants have opted for STPI and only 37% - for PI.

As in previous years, the first places on top of most active institutions in patenting inventions (PI and STPI) are taken by: State University of Moldova - 24 filed applications and 21 issued patents; SUMP “N. Testemitanu” - 12 applications, 13 patents; Technical University of Moldova - 16 applications, 16 patents.

From the Academy of Sciences have distinguished themselves: Institute of Applied Physics - 16 filed applications, 20 issued patents; Institute of Energy - 18 applications, 10 patents; Institute of Electronic Engineering and Nanotechnologies “D. Ghitu” - 16 applications, 13 patents; Institute of Genetics and Plant Physiology - 12 applications, 12 patents; Institute of Chemistry - 9 applications, 6 patents; Institute of Microbiology and Biotechnology - 5 applications, 5 patents; Institute of Zoology - 8 applications, 4 patents; Institute of Physiology and Sanocreatology - 2 applications, 2 patents.

From agro-industrial field the most active were: Scientific-Practical Institute of Horticulture and Food Technologies - 10 filed applications, 9 issued patents; Institute of Agricultural Engineering “Mecagro” - 3 applications, 6 patents.

From the Ministry of Health have distinguished themselves: Public Medical and Sanitary Institution National Scientific-Practical Center of Emergency Medicine - 4 applications; National Center of Public Health of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Moldova - 3 applications.

Thus, during the period 1993-2011 AGEPI received 6154 applications for patents of inventions (5528 patent applications and 626 short-term patent applications), of which 5440 (88%) were received from national applicants, and 714 (12%) - from foreign applicants. On January 1, 2012, 5247 patents were valid in the Republic of Moldova, of which 4107 Eurasian patents (78%).

During the period under review, 28 variety patent applications were filed with AGEPI and two patents were issued.

From year to year, inventors from the Republic of Moldova confirm more convincingly our status of inventive nation, winning multiple national and international awards. During the months of March-May 2012 AGEPI promoted and stimulated innovative activity in the Republic of Moldova, providing national inventors’ participation in the International Exhibition of Inventiveness “ProInvent” in Cluj-Napoca, International Exhibition of Industrial Property “Archimedes”, Moscow, International Exhibition of Inventions in Geneva, European Exhibition of Creativity and Innovation “EUROINVENT”, Iasi. The works exhibited by Moldovan inventors were assessed with 41 - gold, 25 - silver and 11 - bronze medals.

Celebration of Inventor’s and Rationalizer’s Day will be a good opportunity to balance these technical creativity promotion and stimulation activities. Or, inventions and rationalization proposals are judged primarily by their economic, social, environmental, informational effect, making our level of life more qualitative and country’s economy more advanced.