Intellectual property protection plays a key role in gaining an advantageous position in the competitive technological game for achieving economic growth. The CSIR IP policy is aimed "To maximise the benefits to CSIR from its intellectual capital by stimulating higher levels of innovation through a judicious system of rewards, ensuring timely and effective legal protection for its IP and leveraging and forging strategic alliances for enhancing the value of its IP".

Innovation Protection Unit (IPU) has been established in CSIR headquarters to protect intellectual property rights at national and international level for the results of important R&D carried out in the various CSIR Laboratories. The activities encompass protection of all types of intellectual property generated in CSIR that include patents, trademarks, designs, copyrights, etc.

CSIR-CFTRI patent Unit acts as a liaison between the scientists/inventors at CSIR and the IPU towards services for IP protection. CSIR-CFTRI currently has a portfolio of 166 Indian patents and 93 international patents that covers products/processes under major areas of Food Technology viz. Bakery and cereal products, Beverage products, Convenience products, Food Machinery, Fruit and Vegetable products, Meat and Marine products, Plantation and Spice products, Microbial, Fermentation and Plant based formulations, Protein Speciality products, etc.

Services include:

• Support to the scientists/inventors for successful IP documentation
• Scrutiny of the patent write-up provided by the inventors and provide suggestions/modification
• Support in prior-art search for IP filing
• Periodical review of IP portfolio and forward the recommendations to Innovation Protection Unit, CSIR
• Liaisoning with Innovative Protection Unit, CSIR for successful filing of IP
• Interface with Business Development Unit for Commercialization