The science ministry will form a team of experts in April to help research bodies obtain international patents and beat the competition in protein research linked to new drugs, ministry officials said Tuesday.
The Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry plans to establish the team to keep Japan internationally competitive in postgenome research, the officials said.
The team, to consist of researchers and patent attorneys knowledgeable on intellectual property rights and international patents, will provide detailed advice to public research institutions, which know little about obtaining patents, they said.