Five of the patents garnered first prize, 15 won second place and the remaining 30 placed third. The grand prize award of 1 million yuan was not distributed as no patent met its requirements.

The patent closest to the grand prize is a vaccine used to treat porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS), also known as blue-ear pig disease.

The vaccine is now used in 19 provinces and has also been exported to Viet Nam, Laos and other Southeast Asian countries.

While most of the 50 patents were developed by high-tech companies, universities and research institutions, three came from individuals.

The biennial award is the first of its kind by a provincial government nationwide, according to Beijing Intellectual Property Office Director Liu Zhengang.

It aims to encourage the owners of advanced technologies to file patent applications and to improve patent protection awareness among Beijing citizens, Mr Liu said.

Its first awards were announced in 2008, when 49 of more than 300 candidates were selected. The grand prize was awarded that year, for a patented mobile x-ray container inspection system by the Nuctech, a prestigious high-tech company that originated at Tsinghua University.

Further Reading

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Find out more information on PRRS by clicking here.