The Ministry of Economy and Tourism (MOET) has reviewed Cabinet Resolution No. 136 of 2026, which exempts student inventors and People of Determination from certain industrial property service fees.
The move is part of efforts to strengthen the country’s innovation and intellectual property ecosystem.
MOET began implementing the resolution on September 14, providing a full fee exemption for 29 services. Eleven of these benefit both groups and include applications for patent registration, industrial design registration, integrated circuit layouts and utility certificates. They also cover publication of registration and annual fees for the second to fifth years of protection. The original fees for these services range from AED100 to AED1,000.
Nine further services are exempted for People of Determination, with original fees of AED1,000 to AED9,000. Another nine are exempted for student inventors, with original fees of AED500 to AED4,500. The ministry said the changes lower the cost of protecting innovations and encourage students and People of Determination to turn their research into industrial property assets.
Dr. Abdulrahman Hassan Al Muaini, Assistant Undersecretary for the Intellectual Property Sector, said the resolution reflects the UAE’s vision of fostering creativity by helping these groups register their innovations with ease. He added that the ministry continues to develop the digital infrastructure for patent, industrial design and utility certificate services, in line with the We the UAE 2031 vision.
Activity in the sector is rising. Patent applications grew 9 percent in the first half of 2026 compared with the same period last year, after roughly 4,361 applications in 2025. Utility certificate applications rose 21.43 percent over the same period. Total applications for patents, utility certificates and industrial designs have reached 22,184 to date.
News Source: Emirates News Agency
