The China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) announced the winners of the 25th China Patent Awards on June 5, with Yichang securing one Gold Award and two Excellence Awards, marking itshistoric breakthrough in obtaining China’s highest patent honors.

　　Co-hosted by CNIPA and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the China Patent Awards represent China’s only government-sponsored recognition dedicated exclusively to patented inventions. Regarded as the “crown jewel” of China’s patent field, this year’s awards honored 30 projects with Gold Awards. Among the recipients, HEC Pharm Co Ltd claimed a Gold Award, while HXF Saw Co Ltd and China Gezhouba Group Three Gorges Construction Engineering CoLtd each received an Excellence Award for their patented innovations.

　　In recent years, as a national model city for intellectual propertydevelopment, Yichang has introduced significant financial incentives to promote high-quality intellectual propertygrowth, offering rewards of up to 500,000 yuan per project. Ithas also established management protocols to standardize the evaluation and cultivation of high-value invention patents.As of April 2025, Yichang maintained 8,505 valid invention patents, representing 21.67 patents per 10,000 people. The number of high-value invention patents reached 2,729, a rate of6.95 per 10,000 residentsand a 20.53% year-on-year increase, both rankingsecond in Hubei Province. (Reporter/Chen Xi, Correspondent/Zhao Jie)