Mexican Social Security and Industrial Property Institutes Sign Agreement to Boost Patent Applications

By Goodrich, Riquelme y Asociados

The Mexican Social Security Institute has signed a collaboration agreement with the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property to increase the number of patent applications and registrations related to inventions and technological developments generated within the healthcare sector.

The agreement aims to promote the use of Mexico’s industrial property system among the more than 700 researchers and 41 research centers affiliated with the Social Security Institute. By strengthening ties between public health and innovation, the collaboration seeks to protect the scientific developments produced within the institution and enable their commercial exploitation when applicable.

According to the Social Security Institute, it currently leads the health sector in the number of patents granted between 2018 and May 2025. Its general director, Zoé Robledo, emphasized that the institute is moving toward a more translational research model—focused not only on patent licensing but also on the sale and production of innovations. He also highlighted a treatment for anxiety developed by the institution that could lead to cost savings in public healthcare and generate revenues through partnerships with the national pharmaceutical industry.

For the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property, this agreement reflects a broader effort to foster innovation, strengthen technology transfer, and encourage economic growth through the protection of intellectual property.

This collaboration also carries significant implications for the pharmaceutical industry and the private sector at large. By supporting the legal protection of public-sector medical research, the agreement helps generate a pipeline of patent-protected technologies that may be licensed, co-developed, or manufactured in partnership with private firms. It provides greater certainty and transparency around intellectual property rights, which is a key condition for investment, technology transfer, and product development. The availability of protected innovations emerging from a major healthcare provider can also stimulate competition, improve access to advanced treatments, and create new opportunities for research-based pharmaceutical and biotech companies operating in Mexico.

The agreement aligns with the national goals outlined in Mexico’s development plans, which include enhancing the country’s capacity for innovation by increasing patent activity and supporting public institutions in transforming research into tangible health solutions. Through this cooperation, the two institutions aim to streamline patent registration processes, provide technical assistance to researchers, and ultimately strengthen Mexico’s health innovation ecosystem by ensuring that scientific discoveries are legally protected and can reach those who need them.