WIPO China: Strengthening IP Talent Development to Meet the Challenges of New Digital Waves

September 11, 2023

Nanjing, September 11 - The 2023 WIPO-China Summer School on Intellectual Property (IP) officially commenced at Nanjing University of Science and Technology (NJUST), with a central focus on "Digital Economy and Global IP Governance." Ms. Liu Hua, the Director of the WIPO Office in China, attended and delivered a speech.

Ms. Liu underscored the significant impact of the WIPO-China Summer School, which has been nurturing students and young professionals in understanding the importance of IP since its inception in 2015. In 2023, WIPO expanded the program to encompass four esteemed Chinese universities, attracting nearly 500 students from 28 different countries. This expansion highlights the program's impactful influence and the potential for further collaboration with Chinese educational institutions.

Recognizing the challenges posed by the waves of digital innovation and deep science innovation, Ms. Liu stressed the imperative of fostering collaboration and nurturing talent. She expressed her hope that the WIPO-China Summer School would continue to advance international, high-level IP education to address the evolving technological landscape. The WIPO Office in China, as an extension of WIPO, will remain engaged with various stakeholders, with a specific focus on promoting innovation and creativity among SMEs, women, and youth.

Following the Opening Ceremony, Ms. Liu delivered the first lecture to the participants of the summer school. During her presentation, she elucidated the concept of the "five sets of golden keys" to WIPO's wealth of knowledge assets, encompassing policy forums, registries, databases, cooperation platforms, and capacity building programs. She also analyzed the two significant waves that are reshaping the IP landscape: the wave of digital innovation and the wave of deep science innovation. Additionally, she highlighted the 50-year collaboration between WIPO and China. Ms. Liu encouraged students to fully utilize WIPO's extensive IP resources, including the Summer School and various IP-related platforms, as a means to bolster their IP capabilities.

The Q&A session that followed saw enthusiastic participation from students, covering a wide array of topics related to IP for youth, women, SMEs, and frontier technologies. Ms. Liu provided thoughtful responses, emphasizing the value of tapping into WIPO's resources for personal and professional growth.

The WIPO-China Summer School at the NJUST has attracted 98 outstanding participants from 13 countries, who will participate in a comprehensive programme combining expert lectures and practical exercises. This program aims to enhance their professional skills and provide more international talents for the collaborative global governance of IP. 

The summer school was co-hosted by the WIPO and the NJUST, and jointly organized by the School of Intellectual Property of NJUST and the Jiangsu International Intellectual Property Academy. Ms. Cao Hongying, Counselor (Level-I) of the HR Department of the China National Intellectual Property Administration, Mr. Zhang Chuanbo, Deputy Director General of the Intellectual Property Office of Jiangsu Province, and Mr. Chen Xiong, Assistant President of the NJUST, attended and addressed the opening ceremony, and the participants from the government, enterprises, universities and law firms as well as the students of the summer school participated in the event.