On April 16, 2026, the Intellectual Property Committee of the Association of Innovative Regions of Russia (AIRR) held a meeting in St. Petersburg, bringing together representatives from government bodies, the scientific community, development institutions, and technology businesses. The event was traditionally held as part of the International Forum "Intellectual Property for the Future." On the eve of the meeting, a strategic session titled "Supporting Inventive Activity at the Regional Level" took place, organized by AIR jointly with the Intellectual Property Development Fund (St. Petersburg). The proposals developed at the end of the session formed the basis for discussion at the Committee meeting. Current Challenges Participants believe that despite the growth in patent activity and infrastructure development, the current intellectual property management system does not yet deliver the expected economic impact. Regional practices show positive dynamics in the number of patent applications, but one of the key problems remains the lack of transparent mechanisms for assessing the value of intellectual rights and involving them in economic turnover. Regional Leaders' Views "Developing effective tools to support inventors and growing the intellectual property market are key tasks for stimulating regional innovative growth. The talented young generation of our region plays a special role in this process, actively participating in creating new inventions and conducting research," noted Denis Sinyavsky, Deputy Governor of Vladimir Region (an AIRR member region). "Yugra is a self-sufficient entity with powerful oil and gas production and a strong university base, where issues of innovation, technology, and intellectual property rights are increasingly entering the orbit of interests and values. Our priority today is to build a system that fosters a culture and genuine interest in inventiveness among people. We want it to become trendy and organically integrated into life trajectories—from school desks to professional realization. I am confident that the 'Young Inventor of Yugra' contest, intensives for youth and students, as well as expanded support for citizens and entrepreneurs, will definitely bear fruit," commented Igor Anfalog, Director of the Yugra Technopark (from an AIRR member region). Best Regional Practices AIRR participants showcased experiences from Kaluga, Nizhny Novgorod, Novgorod, Tomsk regions, the Republic of Mordovia, and KhMAO—Yugra. Tomsk Region demonstrated steady growth in patent activity—by 24% over the year—and the development of digital tools for intellectual property management, including integration of data on science, developments, and technologies into a single platform. Nizhny Novgorod Region presented successful cases of using intellectual property as a financial tool: in 2025, the first lending deals were implemented using intellectual property rights as collateral. Kaluga Region emphasized the cluster development model and the problem of "leakage" of intellectual rights to federal-level head companies, which distorts regional statistics and reduces local economic impact. Novgorod Region showcased a systematic approach to training personnel in intellectual property, including the "Patent Engineer" educational program and high graduate employment rates—up to 88%. The Republic of Mordovia and KhMAO—Yugra focused on popularizing intellectual property among youth and fostering an inventive culture through contests, educational programs, and startup support. Financing Mechanisms One of the Committee's priority topics was developing financing mechanisms using intellectual property as collateral. Despite initial successful cases, participants noted systemic limitations, including the lack of unified valuation methodologies, high cost of credit resources, and risks for the state as a guarantor. They proposed focusing on amending the regulatory framework and developing economic models for using intellectual property as collateral assets. Legislative Reforms According to Dmitry Mitroshin, AIRR's head of regional direction, changes to several public procurement laws will create conditions where state-owned companies, natural monopolies, and other state-involved organizations can select not the cheapest, but the most effective and innovative offers, generating guaranteed demand for innovative products. "It is necessary to create conditions so that state-owned companies, natural monopolies, and other state-involved organizations can choose not the cheapest, but the best or most innovative offer. Moreover, innovation is a process, not always a finished product. For this, the main procurement decision criterion should be not low price, but the total life-cycle cost or the aggregate effect of the innovation. Alongside pilot implementations, relevant proposals for changes to regulation documents must be prepared," noted Dmitry Mitroshin. He also emphasized that the issue of guaranteed demand for innovations remains acute: according to him, a manufacturer investing in development often cannot even get a letter of interest from a potential state customer, as it may violate antitrust laws. Russian regions have accumulated significant experience in intellectual property management, but the next stage requires shifting from quantitative indicators to qualitative ones—economic returns, commercialization, and integration of intellectual property into the real sector. The developed proposals and practices will form the basis of the Committee's final resolution and will contribute to developing a unified national model for intellectual property management.