Global Youth Patent Index launched to track young innovators

The index measures youth patent filings as an early indicator of a country’s future competitiveness. Such filings reflect how effectively education systems convert classroom learning into original, legally protectable ideas

Mumbai: Senior patent and legal expert Dnyaneshwar Kamble has launched the Global Youth Patent Index (GYPI), a new initiative aimed at tracking and encouraging patent activity among school-age children, to bring young innovators into the global innovation ecosystem.

Global Youth Patent Index launched to track young innovators

Kamble said the future strength of nations increasingly depends on how early they identify and protect intellectual capital rather than on physical resources alone. “For decades, we have measured innovation at the level of companies and universities, but the creativity emerging from schools has remained invisible. This is a blind spot that cannot be ignored. There are more than 250 patents registered in the name of students below class 12,” he said.

The index measures youth patent filings as an early indicator of a country’s future competitiveness. Such filings reflect how effectively education systems convert classroom learning into original, legally protectable ideas. The data can also help governments and schools evaluate returns on investments in STEM education, innovation labs and grant-based programmes, Kamble said.

Kamble said GYPI complements global benchmarks such as the World Bank’s Human Capital Index (HCI) and the OECD’s PISA assessments. “HCI measures potential and PISA measures performance. GYPI measures originality,” he said. “It answers a basic question—what are young people creating with the knowledge they receive?”

The initiative comes at a time when artificial intelligence is increasingly being integrated into classrooms. Kamble cautioned that unchecked dependence on AI-generated solutions could weaken curiosity and independent thinking. “When AI can solve problems instantly, children may stop asking questions. GYPI encourages them to use AI as a tool to invent, not as a crutch,” he said, adding that patent filing demands an inventive step that cannot be attributed to machines alone.

Beyond data tracking, the initiative focuses on creating physical and digital infrastructure for young inventors. Platforms such as the Innovation Gallery aim to showcase student inventions and connect them early with industry, investors and academic institutions. Experiential learning spaces, including mathematics laboratories, are also being promoted to strengthen logical thinking through hands-on learning.

One such mathematics lab at Chogale High School and Junior College in Borivali has been conceptualised by teachers Jayashree Dharmadhikari and Mansi Sankhe, who will support the GYPI initiative and assist other institutions in setting up similar facilities.

“Strong logic and structured thinking are the foundation of both mathematics and patent drafting,” Kamble said. “When children learn through play and problem-solving, they are unknowingly developing the same skills needed to design patentable technologies.”

By mapping youth inventorship in a privacy-focused manner, GYPI aims to shift attention from isolated achievements to broader innovation patterns. Kamble said this would enable policymakers, education systems and industry to better assess long-term innovation potential.

Welcoming the initiative, senior technology and IPR lawyer Subramaniam Vutha said GYPI was a “novel concept” that could benefit both students and investors. “As India emerges as a start-up-driven economy, protection of innovation through IPR is crucial,” he said, adding that with a large population under the age of 25, such data could guide investors towards informed and timely investments.