Intellectual Property (IP) SALAYE 2.0

What is IP SALAYE?

The IP Skills Acquisition, Learning, and Youth Entrepreneurship (SALAYE) is a capacity-building program incorporating the WIPO IP Management Clinics (IPMC). The project aims to empower young Nigerian entrepreneurs with the knowledge, skills, and resources necessary to start and run successful businesses by effectively managing IP rights as a business development and financing strategy. It is specifically tailored for young entrepreneurs in Nigeria currently undergoing the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) program.

The pilot phase of the IP SALAYE project took place from October 2023 to April 2024. This phase effectively provided IP and business mentorship to twenty-eight (28) Youth Service Corps Members from the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

The second edition of the program has been scaled up to provide training and mentorship to 150 youth service corps members undertaking their national service in Abuja, as well as Lagos, and Kano States in Nigeria.

The program will be implemented in two stages for a duration of six months:

• Stage one (1): will run from December 2024 to February 2025 and will commence with an onboarding event for the one hundred and fifty (150) selected youth corps members— fifty (50) from each State (Kano and Lagos respectively) and the FCT. Participants will be trained and mentored to identify local problems and provide industrially applicable technological innovations to solve them. In each state, the youth corps members will work in groups of 5 team members each, making a total of 30 groups across the three States.
• Stage two (2), from March 2025 to May 2025, the top sixteen (16) groups, who meet the laid-down criteria, will advance to the IPMC sessions, where they will receive one-on-one mentorship and training on utilizing IP as a strategy for business development and financing.

Who can apply?

The IP SALAYE Program invites all national youth service corps members currently serving in Abuja, Lagos or Kano who are passionate about developing technological and innovative solutions to local challenges identified at their primary place of assignment. No prior experience in this regard however is required.

The main selection criteria include the following considerations or requirements:

• Participants must be undergoing the NYSC program in Lagos, Abuja, or Kano.
• Participants must be able to generate ideas that leverage technology to solve a problem in their community.
• Participants should be passionate and driven towards entrepreneurship.
• Participants should be available for the virtual training for the 6-month curriculum.

Target Location

Abuja, Lagos and Kano

What to Expect

The overall objective of the IP SALAYE Project is to increase IP knowledge, encourage entrepreneurship, and build capacity for leveraging IP in business among youth corps members in Nigeria. The specific objectives are to:

• Train young innovators and entrepreneurs on the importance of intellectual property in protecting their ideas and building a successful startup.
• Create IP awareness among young entrepreneurs in Nigeria through the IP Management Clinics.
• Encourage the development of entrepreneurial skills through mentorship by advanced successful business leaders identified by the WNO.
• Foster innovation by supporting the development of products or technologies with the potential to be registered as IP in Nigeria.
• Create and share success stories on leveraging IP for business by highlighting the impact of the IP Management Clinics for participants at the concluding ‘Demo Day’ events.
• Encourage IP registrations in Nigeria by providing IP registration awareness through the IPMC.

How can IPMC benefit my business?

Every innovative company has unique business challenges that require a tailored IP strategy – an action plan to identify, develop, protect and leverage a company's portfolio of IP assets. Successfully implemented, an IP strategy allows businesses to gain competitive advantage and drives profitability.

All IP Management Clinics share a common methodology, format and duration, though some offer different degrees of specialization in certain areas of IP. Participants benefit from various activities spread over a period, including:

• One-on-one mentorship with renowned IP and business expert(s) selected by WIPO on how to better use IP for growth.
• Training opportunities and access to practical tools and services
• Networking opportunities amongst peers.

The deadline for receipt of applications to the IP SALAYE Program is November 25, 2024.

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