WIPO Academy University Partnership Program

Support for IP Higher Education

The aim of the University Partnerships Program is to support access to intellectual property (IP) education at the graduate level, especially to participants from developing countries, least- developed countries (LDCs) and countries in transition.

This is achieved through the WIPO Academy’s Joint Master’s Programs in IP, and other support to universities such as curricula development, colloquia and conferences for IP teachers and researchers, and lectures by IP experts.

Graduates of the WIPO Academy Joint Master in IP at their graduation ceremony — (photo: getty)

WIPO Joint Master's Programs in IP

Through its university partnership program network, the WIPO Academy offers 18 Joint Master's Programs in IP in partnership with prestigious universities.

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How does the Academy support universities that are part of the University Partnership Program?

Additionally, the University Partnerships Program provides support to universities and teaching institutions who are seeking to offer IP higher education in developing countries, LDCs and countries with economies in transition. The main form of such support is in curricula development, provision of IP textbooks and reference materials, and support for guest lecturers to deliver higher education courses on IP.

A hallmark initiative of this kind is the Patent Law and Global Public Health “PatentX” course, which is a joint offering by WIPO and Harvard Law School (HLS). PatentX is a non-credit course that explores the relationship between patent law and global public health, referring to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the role of IP in stimulating the production and distribution of vaccines and medicines.

University Partnerships brochure

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WIPO-WTO Colloquium for Teachers of IP

The Program also provides training opportunities for teachers of IP through the Colloquium for Teachers of Intellectual Property, which is jointly organized with the World Trade Organization, in Geneva, Switzerland. In 2017, the Academy began to offer the WIPO-WTO Regional Colloquium for Teachers of IP.