This case study is based on an article published by WIPO found here.

Who: Lizzy Retana Villalobos, co-founder of BioTech, a Costa Rican biotechnology company focused on disease control and sustainable food production

Challenge:

Costa Rica is one of the world’s most biodiverse countries and home to more than 500,000 species. As a result, the country has a strong legal framework to protect natural assets, ensuring agricultural production employs eco-friendly methods to produce crops. This is where innovators can play a key role.

Opportunity:

BioTech delivers agricultural solutions that leverage “natural tools” like fungi to combat pests, diseases and other threats. One of BioTech’s products, for example, contains high concentrations of Trichoderma spp., a fungus used to combat soil-borne diseases by preventing their growth, reducing agrochemical pollution and enhancing plants’ resilience. Such eco-friendly ingredients help ensure pollinators aren’t threatened by agricultural activity, which is critical to protecting the world’s food supply.

The company also conducts tests and analyses to help agricultural producers maximize their crops. For example, Retana Villalobos noted the presence of Trichoderma spp. helped increase pineapple crop yield by 10 to 12 percent. BioTech has a broad range of fungi and bacteria to study and leverage in Costa Rica’s different regions, and plans to expand its operations in the country – and eventually beyond.

Despite having an innovative, research-based product that helps agricultural producers yield better results, developing BioTech wasn’t an easy road. BioTech had to secure funding to advance their product development, as well as change the mindset of farmers who had used traditional, and harmful, pesticides for generations. That’s why BioTech leadership leans on intellectual property (IP), such as patents and trademarks, to protect their research and investments. And as the company continues to grow, Retana Villalobos emphasizes that “IP is a key company asset…[p]rotecting our innovations and products with IP rights allows us to strengthen our market position and remain competitive.”