Celebrating 25 Years of the WIPO Academy

The WIPO Academy has dedicated the last 25 years of its service to empowering its growing community of alumni, partners and experts to harness their innovative and creative potential through IP knowledge and skills.

On this occasion, we would like to extend our gratitude to all members of the Academy Community – for their support and enthusiasm towards a lifelong journey of IP education, knowledge and skills-building.

Video: Message from WIPO Director General Daren Tang on the WIPO Academy's role in IP education and skills-building.

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The Academy in numbers

1.2 million+ participants trained

In 193 countries

72% under the age of 35

With a 50/50 gender distribution

The Academy in stories

Dr. Chinh in a white lab coat, holding and inspecting a glass beaker — Image: Giorgi Merabishvili

"My advice to anyone wishing to start a business is to study, study, and study! Knowledge is the only thing that will help you, so the more you build, the better off you will be and the better off your business will be. It is a must to have IP protection – it really is part of the process of running a business. You can’t escape it, so building your IP knowledge is key."

– Giorgi Merabishvili (Georgia)

"I strongly encourage my fellow Latin American scholars to enroll in the Joint Master’s Program in IP and Innovation offered by WIPO and the University of San Andrés, because you won’t only walk away with the knowledge to strengthen society, but you will also gain a supportive community of alumni from the program. It really creates a fertile ground to build a scholarly community, and an invaluable support system.”

- Micaela Mantegna (Argentina)

“I have never promoted my medicine, but my patients promoted it through word of mouth. Instead I like to promote IP because one cannot do anything without it. I have taught over 1,500 students at university so far, and at least half of them have done the General Distance Learning Course on IP (DL-101) at my request. Africa needs young people who are empowered by IP because knowledge brings partnerships and collaboration, which is necessary for the youth to rise up.”

- Amah Dondinaa Gnassingbe (Togo)

“On a personal level, I find it very useful to be knowledgeable on IP as a scientist who meets with industry researchers and the industrial board at the university. It is essential to understand the basics of patents, when to publish your research, when to patent your work, and what you can commercialize to be able to keep up with and add to the discussions in these meetings.”

– Menattallah Elserafy (Egypt)

“By studying IP, I felt like I could make a difference in my country to help ensure that it has a system of IP protection for entrepreneurs, innovators and creators. WIPO was an amazing source of support during my studies, and KDI School was a great place to study. The professors were all great experts in their fields of IP and the participants all brought different perspectives on IP given their different country backgrounds.”

– Liliyana da Silva (Timor-Leste)

Resources and information

Social media kit

Celebrate with us on social media by creating your own content using special edition templates.

WIPO Magazine article

Read about the WIPO Academy's mission to equip learners with the IP skills they need for success, growth and development.