2027 The 5th Chemical IP and Innovation Forum (Ningbo)
About the Conference
About the Conference
The 5th Chemical IP and Innovation Forum (CIPIDF 2027) will take place in Ningbo on 25–26 March 2027 under the theme "Patent Strategy · Global Expansion · AI Governance · Trade Secret Defence". It focuses on petrochemicals, advanced materials, polyurethane and MDI, agrochemicals, synthetic resins, organosilicon, fine chemicals and pharmaceutical intermediates, coatings and adhesives.
The global chemical industry is entering a phase in which technological competition and compliance constraints run in parallel. For chemical companies whose core assets are formulations, processes and on-site experience, intellectual property is no longer merely a legal matter — it is a business precondition that determines whether technology can be held, whether products can go global, and whether partnerships can be closed.
Companies face pressure on several fronts — trade secrets leaking through staff turnover and outsourced processing, patents being blocked overseas, the long and costly cycles of US Section 337 investigations and European UPC litigation, FTO analyses that never reach the R&D milestones, contract gaps in cross-border licensing and overseas plant construction, and AI drawing a new boundary between efficiency and disclosure. IP management is shifting from reactive defence to proactive portfolio planning, full-process documentation and global protection.
The two-day programme features 16 keynote sessions and 2 panel discussions, each keynote running 40 minutes on a strict schedule, with practitioners from the front line and corporate IP leaders sharing the stage. We invite colleagues across the industry to join us in Ningbo.
Why Attend
Highlights
- 01
Two days, single track, 16 keynotes + 2 panel discussions
- 02
250+ attendees, mainly IP and legal heads from chemical companies
- 03
Four tracks — patent strategy, global expansion, AI governance, trade secret protection
- 04
Strict 40-minute slots; speakers drawn from practising experts
- 05
Speakers and topics are being confirmed and updated continuously
Audience Profile
Who attends
250+ attendees from four core groups: industry, professional services, academia and the public sector.
Chemical manufacturers
IPR and legal leads at petrochemical, advanced materials, polyurethane and MDI, agrochemical, synthetic resin, silicone, fine chemical and pharmaceutical intermediate, coatings and adhesives companies.
IP service providers
IP lawyers, foreign patent attorneys, and senior specialists in patent invalidation, freedom-to-operate analysis and IP operations.
Research institutes and universities
R&D teams at institutes such as the Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology (CAS) and universities, plus technology-transfer and IP operations staff focused on ownership in industry-academia collaboration and trade-secret management in pilot-scale work.
Government and industry bodies
Courts, IP administrative authorities, industry associations, and the administrations of Ningbo Petrochemical Economic Development Zone, the Ningbo Economic and Technological Development Zone chemical cluster and Daxie Development Zone.
Topics & Agenda
Key Topics
Patent strategy
03- Patent mapping, filing budgets and infringement exposure assessment
- Evidence and proof in process patent cases
- Administrative litigation after invalidation — writing claims that hold and pricing risk correctly
Global expansion
03- The twelve months of a US Section 337 investigation
- The invalidation cost of the European UPC
- Contract terms for cross-border licensing and overseas plant construction
AI governance
02- Boundaries and data compliance in R&D, search, drafting and office action responses
- Corporate deployment paths and governance frameworks
Trade secret protection
03- Judicial review pathways and the shifting burden of proof
- R&D records, abandoned cases and staff mobility
- On-site information, fixing the secret points, criminal liability and cross-border remedies
Programme
Agenda
DAY 01
25 March (Thu)
Patent strategy · Global expansion · AI governance
- 08:50–09:00
Opening remarks
- 09:00–09:40
Patent preparation and risk assessment for going global
Patent mapping, filing budgets and infringement exposure assessment
- 09:40–10:20
Responding to a US Section 337 investigation
Filing requirements, discovery and exclusion orders over twelve months
- 10:20–10:50
Coffee break · Exhibition networking
- 10:50–11:30
Observing the Unified Patent Court in operation
Invalidation costs, trial cycles and decision trends for chemical patents
- 11:30–12:30
Contract structuring for cross-border licensing and overseas plants
Scope of licence, ownership of improvements and post-termination use (60 min)
- 12:30–13:30
Lunch
- 13:30–14:10
Evidence, expert appraisal and proof in chemical process patents
Process presumption for new products and reverse determination of process parameters
- 14:10–14:50
Rules of administrative litigation over patent validity
Judicial remedies and grounds for reversal after an invalidation decision
- 14:50–15:20
Coffee break · Exhibition networking
- 15:20–16:00
Data compliance and confidentiality boundaries in AI adoption
Model training inputs, deployment architecture and internal policies
- 16:00–16:40
AI in IP service delivery — practice and efficiency observed
Scenario penetration, quality fluctuation and changing delivery models
- 16:40–17:40
Panel: How AI fits into corporate IP work, and how to govern it
Scenario fit · Efficiency measurement · Quality and liability · Data and confidentiality · Organisation and talent · Governance mechanisms
- 18:00–19:30
Closed-door networking dinner (50 seats · sponsor seats)
DAY 02
26 March (Fri)
Trade secret protection
- 08:50–09:00
Opening
- 09:00–09:40
Judicial review of trade secret cases
Fixing secret points, determining secrecy and rules on damages
- 09:40–10:20
Applying Article 39 of the new Anti-Unfair Competition Law
Shifting the burden of proof and assessing the adequacy of confidentiality measures
- 10:20–10:50
Coffee break · Exhibition networking
- 10:50–11:30
R&D records as trade secrets, and how to manage them
Negative data, pilot-scale records and archiving abandoned cases
- 11:30–12:10
Confidentiality duties and non-compete coordination during staff mobility
Position grading, decoupling periods and points of proof
- 12:10–13:30
Lunch
- 13:30–14:10
Establishing secrecy of technical information on the production floor
Process parameters, operating experience and the boundary with external visitors
- 14:10–14:50
Defining, fixing and appraising trade secret points
Classifying formulations, processes and drawings
- 14:50–15:30
Criminal liability and evidence construction in trade secret cases
The line between crime and non-crime, and cases without confessions
- 15:30–16:00
Coffee break · Exhibition networking
- 16:00–16:40
Remedies for cross-border trade secret infringement
Applying Order No. 801 and rules on cross-border evidence
- 16:40–17:40
Panel: Making a trade secret management system work — and proving it
From policy documents to provable facts — policy · people · site · evidence · organisation
- 17:40
Close of conference
Hosted By
Organisers
CIPIDF-2027 · see you at the next edition
For the full agenda or registration details, get in touch with the organising committee — we usually reply within one business day.
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Or call Roy XIAO on 152 6420 1168