How can human innovation address the COVID-19 pandemic?
Through inspired inventors making a difference.
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is expanding the Patents for Humanity Awards Program to include a new category for those who are responding rapidly to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic by using or developing game-changing technologies. This new award category will provide business incentives for patent applicants, holders, and licensees whose inventions track, prevent, diagnose, or treat COVID-19. Their success stories will inspire others to harness innovation for human progress.
Award
In addition to public recognition of their work, winners will receive a certificate that grants them accelerated USPTO processing for one eligible matter. New for this special award category, as recently provided for in Public Law 116-316: Winners may transfer their acceleration certificate to a third party.
All innovations related to COVID-19 are eligible.
Any U.S. patent or patent application that addresses COVID-19 is eligible for this award, including any inventions created to track, diagnose, prevent, or treat the disease. Please note that this new award cycle will only be for applications related to COVID-19. To review the additional award categories available in future cycles, please visit the Patents For Humanity webpage.
The application period for this program has ended. The deadline for submission was on September 30, 2021. On December 15, 2022, the winners were announced.
For non-press inquiries, please contact patentsforhumanity@uspto.gov.
Announcements
Stay informed with the latest Patents for Humanity news and deadlines by signing up for the USPTO Awards newsletter.
- Learn more about the application process and how to support the program below.
About the Patents for Humanity award
Patents for Humanity recognizes innovators who use game-changing technology to meet global humanitarian challenges. The program provides business incentives for reaching those in need: winners receive an acceleration certificate to expedite select proceedings at the USPTO, as well as public recognition of their work. The awards showcase how patent holders with vision are pioneering innovative ways to provide affordable, scalable, and sustainable solutions for the less fortunate.
Businesses and others are finding unique and creative ways to reach underserved markets. Their stories show that humanitarian engagement is compatible with business interests and strong patent rights, and that companies can effectively contribute to the global good while maintaining commercial markets. Watch a video about the Patents for Humanity award to learn more.
Application process and eligibility
Patents for Humanity submissions are evaluated on the effectiveness of their technology to address humanitarian issues, the contributions made by applicants to increase use of their technology among the impoverished, and the impact those contributions have made to improve lives. The Patents for Humanity: COVID-19 category is only open to holders, applicants, and licensees for invention that track, prevent, diagnose, or treat COVID-19. The application period for all other categories of the Patents for Humanity program has closed. Winners for all other the categories were announced in August 2020. This application cycle will only include the COVID-19 category. Please contact us if you have any questions.
Eligibility
The competition is open to any patent owners, patent applicants, or patent licensees for inventions that track, prevent, diagnose, or treat COVID-19. Applicants may team together to submit a single joint application as long as at least one applicant meets the eligibility criteria. Complete terms and conditions for Patents for Humanity: COVID-19 category.
Judging criteria
Applications will be judged by one of the following two sets of criteria, depending on how their technology benefits those impacted by COVID-19:
Humanitarian use
Criteria used for those applying eligible technologies to positively impact a humanitarian issue, focusing on demonstrable real-world improvements on those impacted by COVID19:
- Subject matter: The applicant’s invention, which is claimed in a U.S. utility patent in force at the time or a pending U.S. utility patent application, effectively addresses the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Target population: The applicant’s invention targets those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Contribution: The applicant took meaningful actions to make the technology more available to address the COVID-19 pandemic. This only includes actions taken by the applicant.
- Impact: The applicant’s contributions have significantly advanced the deployment of the technology to benefit the public. This includes downstream actions by third parties building on the applicant’s contributions.
Humanitarian research
Criteria used for those who make available patented technologies to other researchers for conducting research related to COVID-19:
- Subject matter: The applicant’s invention, which is claimed in a U.S. utility patent in force at the time or a pending U.S. utility patent application, effectively supports research by others, e.g., as a tool or input.
- COVID-19 field: The research by others clearly targets the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Contribution: The applicant took meaningful actions to make the technology more available for research by others working on the COVID-19 pandemic. This only includes actions taken by the applicant.
- Impact: The research by others has a high potential for significant impact in the COVID-19 field. This includes downstream actions by third parties using the applicant’s contributions.
Qualified judges from outside the USPTO will review and score the applications. The USPTO will then forward the top-scoring applications to reviewers from participating federal agencies to recommend award recipients.
Award types
Two types of awards will be made: (1) Patents for Humanity Awards and (2) honorable mentions.
The Patents for Humanity Award is the top award for applicants best representing the Patents for Humanity principles stated above. Patents for Humanity Award recipients receive public recognition at an awards ceremony sponsored by the USPTO. They also receive a certificate to accelerate any of the following matters before the USPTO:
- A patent application,
- Ex parte reexam,
- Ex parte appeal to the Patent Trial and Appeal Board.
Inter partes matters and other post-grant proceedings may not be accelerated at this time.
Honorable mentions receive accelerated examination of one patent application (but not other types of matters) and a mention on the USPTO website. A portion of honorable mention awards may be given to the best up-and-coming technologies.
Winners who have questions about redeeming their acceleration certificate should contact us.
New this year: Winners may transfer their acceleration certificate to a third party for compensation.
Past awards
A pilot Patents for Humanity award program was conducted in 2012–2013. It gave ten awards and six honorable mentions to businesses, universities, and nonprofits using patented technology to aid the less fortunate. Subsequent Patents for Humanity awards were made in April 2015, September 2016, August 2018, and August 2020. Please note that previous cycles were for all other categories. This is the first COVID-19 category competition.
See a list of past Patents for Humanity Award winners:
Read press releases related to previous Patents for Humanity awards:
- 2020 Patents for Humanity winners: USPTO press release (August 26, 2020)
- 2018 Patents for Humanity winners: USPTO press release (August 9, 2018)
- 2016 Patents for Humanity winners: USPTO press release (September 9, 2016)
- 2015 Patents for Humanity winners: USPTO press release (April 13, 2015)
Past award ceremonies:
- 2020 Patents for Humanity awards ceremony (September 17, 2020, with recording of the event)
- 2018 Patents for Humanity awards ceremony (November 27, 2018, with recording of the event)
- 2015 Patents for Humanity awards ceremony (April 20, 2015, with recording of the event)
Support the program
Your support is critical to making the Patents for Humanity program a success. First and foremost, we want potential applicants to know that it exists. We need help publicizing the program beyond our own communication channels in order to attract the best candidates. Help us spread the word about Patents for Humanity to those with game-changing technologies. Please feel free to use the ready-made material below.
It’s easy to help! You can:
- Place the Patents for Humanity banner on your website.
- Mention the program in your emails, newsletters, blogs, and other public communications.
- Discuss the program with clients and colleagues.
- Mention it in your presentations.
- Invite USPTO speakers to conferences, meetings, and other events.
Resource materials
- Link to the Patents for Humanity webpage.
- Display the program logo: large image. (May also be used in print to refer to the program.)
- Use text from our program info page or press releases.
- Distribute our Patents for Humanity: COVID-19 category flyer.
- Stay informed with the latest news and deadlines by signing up for the USPTO Awards newsletter.
- Use the hashtags #Patents4Humanity and #USPTO
