WIPO Director General Daren Tang concluded a two-day visit to Hungary on March 3, 2026, during which he met with key stakeholders and delivered opening remarks at a conference marking the 130th anniversary of the Hungarian Intellectual Property Office (HIPO).
During his remarks, Mr. Tang spoke about how intellectual property (IP) offices must not just be efficient and effective IP registries and regulators, but also shapers of innovation and creative ecosystems, helping to boost IP awareness, support the use of IP for business growth, and help IP connect with economy, finance and trade.
“HIPO is helping IP be the bridge from idea to value, and from value to future. WIPO is proud to have been a close partner with HIPO over these past decades and looks forward to our continued strong collaboration in the many decades to come, working together to serve Hungarian and European innovators and creators,” he said.
Budapest engagements:
- Met with HIPO President Szabolcs Farkas and discussed bilateral cooperation, the implementation of joint initiatives, including the upcoming Joint Master’s Program on IP Management, and progress on promoting the Madrid System for international trademark registration.
- Met with the Budapest Stock Exchange Chief Executive Officer Tibor Tóth to discuss strengthening Hungary’s innovation ecosystem, advancing IP valuation and IP-backed financing, and potential collaboration on a pilot framework to support innovative enterprises in leveraging intangible assets for access to financing.
- Visited Óbuda University and its Antal Bejczy Center for Intelligent Robotics and discussed university-industry collaboration as well as technology transfer and commercialization pathways in high-tech and robotics research.
- Delivered opening remarks at the international conference, highlighting the growing importance of IP and intangible assets, the evolving role of IP offices as innovation ecosystem enablers, and the strong partnership between WIPO and Hungary in supporting innovators and creators in an era of rapid technological change.
- Participated in a roundtable discussion on “The future of the IP ecosystem in the 21st century” with European Intellectual Property Office Executive Director João Negrao and European Patent Office President Antonio Campinos.