Sharing Knowledge
and Building IP Skills
The WIPO Academy
Review 2022–2023
Since its establishment in 1998, the WIPO Academy has reached 1.2 million participants 96% of which come from developing countries, least-developed countries and countries with economies in transition.
In 2022 and 2023, the WIPO Academy expanded its offerings across programs to cater to the growing world-wide demand for specialized intellectual property (IP) training and skills-building opportunities.
52
Distance Learning (DL) courses offered in 20+ languages
11
Joint Master’s Degree Programs offered and 18 universities supported with IP education
33
WIPO Summer Schools in 27 countries
17
Professional Development Programs
19
Established IP Training Institutions (IPTIs) trained 216,797 participants
Participants from all 193 WIPO Member States have enrolled in WIPO Academy courses in 2022 and 2023.
China is leading the top 5 countries with the largest number of WIPO Academy participants (2022-2023).
Main Trends in Building IP Skills
The WIPO Academy is delivering more specialized and tailored offerings for underserved communities, namely SMEs, women and the youth.
All programs are scaling sustainable and impact-driven project-based support, implemented hand-in-hand with partners and beneficiaries on the ground such as the IP Training Institutions (IPTIs). Through the IPTIs, the WIPO Academy is also able to reach beneficiaries in remote areas. 33 projects were implemented with the IPTIs, including under WIPO’s COVID-19 Response Package.
To increase access to the knowledge and skills needed to harness innovation and creativity for economic growth, the WIPO Academy is taking proactive steps towards decentralizing IP education and training by:
- spearheading distance learning course customization,
- offering EdTech support (for building eLearning infrastructure and technology needed to deliver customized courses),
- establishing more IPTIs,
- expanding graduate programs by region and languages, and
- strengthening partnerships with other organizations to jointly offer educational and skills-building content together.
Shifting Focus to the Private Sector
The WIPO Academy launched new business-focused online courses such as:
• the IP and Exports Course and
• the WIPO-Harvard Course on Patent Law and Global Public Health (PatentX)
Additionally, Joint Master’s Degree Programs with specializations in entrepreneurship, business and technology were launched, including :
• The Joint Master’s in IP Business with Singapore University of Social Sciences,
• The Joint LL.M in IP and Technology Law with IE in Spain, and
• The Joint Master’s in IP and Technology Transfer with Sofia University, Bulgaria.
The IPTIs delivered 11 projects for entrepreneurs, including under WIPO’s COVID-19 Response Package.
Ada Yorleny Thorpe Thomas took part in an IP skills-building project for entrepreneurs in the Atlantic region of Costa Rica in 2022. The project was implemented in the framework of the WIPO COVID-19 Response Package and included tailored training. The training program was delivered by the WIPO Academy and the Costa Rican Academy of Intellectual Property, a WIPO supported Intellectual Property Training Institution (IPTI). After completing the training program, Ada successfully registered the trademark for her business, Aziza's Repostería y Comida Caribeña at the Registry of Intellectual Property of Costa Rica. In fact, Ada was the first person from Limón to register a trademark, which is a historical achievement for her region and country.
The training program on IP helped me improve my knowledge on trademarks, which is so important for the development of my business, particularly after realizing how formalizing an enterprise can positively impact a society with new sources of stable work. As an entrepreneur, it is important to not only focus on money. To be successful you need to have a growth mindset and focus on building your knowledge. That will help you succeed in the end and move ahead. Focus on building your knowledge, including IP knowledge, and the money will come.
– Ada Yorleny Thorpe Thomas, Founder of Aziza's Repostería y Comida Caribeña
Empowering Women in IP
In 2022 and 2023, the WIPO Academy ran 13 tailored programs and projects for women under the DL Program and the IPTIs Program.
The DL Program’s Leadership Course on IP, Science and Innovation for Women Scientists and Innovators was organized in 2023 in collaboration with UNESCO and the Korean IP Office, for the benefit of 20 women scientists.
The DL Program also contributed to UNCTAD’s masterclass series on eTrade for women-led digital businesses in different regions from Africa to Asia and the Pacific, benefitting 179 women entrepreneurs.
Some of the award-winning female scientists on the Leadership Course on IP, Science and Innovation for Women Scientists and Innovators have pledged to share their IP knowledge with the next generation of scientists to empower and enable their innovative and life-changing breakthroughs.
Other WIPO Academy alumni, like Lilian Nantume, have gone on to support and empower other women to tap into their creative and innovative potentials through IP. Lilian is a Ugandan businesswoman behind the organization, Grooming a Successful Woman with Intellectual Mind (GSWIM), a grassroots non-governmental organization that supports women in launching their own SMEs and protecting IP assets to enhance the market value of their products and services.
The WIPO courses and the Joint Master’s Program offered by WIPO, ARIPO and Africa University have been so educational and informative. The more IP knowledge I acquired, the more business ideas I developed, which I thought I could pass on to other women through establishing an empowerment organization based on IP for business development.
– Lilian Nantume, Founder of GSWIM
Fostering Youth Innovation, Creativity and Entrepreneurship
The WIPO Academy caters to youth across programs, including through its dedicated IP4Youth&Teachers service which kick-starts teachers and school students on their path to creativity, innovation and IP education in primary and secondary schools. Through IP4Youth&Teachers, WIPO awards IP Youth Ambassadorships to spotlight young innovators, creators and entrepreneurs who are successful and inspiring users of the IP system.
75%
of WIPO Academy Participants are under the age of 35.
Meet WIPO’s 15 IP Youth Ambassadors from 7 Countries
IPTIs Program Spotlight
The WIPO IPTIs Program has expanded its offerings in 2022 and 2023 through its 19 established IPTIs, supporting 216,797 participants around the world, through 2,757 training activities. Most IPTI beneficiaries were women.
The IPTIs Program trained 792 trainers, implemented 45 joint projects and 11 other joint initiatives with the established IPTIs in the two-year period. The joint projects with the established IPTIs catered to key audiences such as:
• creators, innovators, entrepreneurs, and SMEs;
• public officials;
• women;
• youth; in addition to
• universities and research centers.
The School of Intellectual Property of El Salvador, a WIPO IPTI, and the WIPO Academy, launched a competition for students to develop a videogame that teaches players about IP (with the ulterior motive of having those developing the videogame learn about IP in the process). 17-year-old William Edmundo Montano Molina won the competition for his videogame "This Robot, It's Mine!" which is now being used by the IPTI to teach young people about IP. This was a wonderful achievement for William, who is an aspiring videogame developer.
With the training I got from the Intellectual Property Training Institution on IP, in addition to the video game development competition which I won with my game “This Robot, It’s Mine!”, I am sure that I can pursue my dreams and continue developing better videogames for a larger audience. If I could give one piece of advice, it would be to not let any opportunities pass you by, because experience is what you win and having the right knowledge and tools can help you achieve more than you can imagine.
– William Edmundo Montano Molina, developer of the videogame “This Robot, It’s Mine!”
Funds-in-Trust Partners
Republic of Korea Funds-in-Trust for IP Education
The Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) continued to be one of the Academy’s key partners, in particular through the Funds-in-Trust established with a focus on IP education. In 2022/23 this enabled the joint organization of:
- Joint Master’s Program in IP and Development Policy at the Korea Development Institute School of Public Policy and Management;
- The WIPO-Korea Summer Schools;
- WIPO-KIPO Professional Development courses covering areas such as patents, designs, trademarks and examination for government officials;
- Advanced International Certificate Course on IP Asset Management for Business Success;
- IP Impact Certificate Course;
- WIPO Innovation Skills Development Camp;
- Leadership Course on IP, Science and Innovation for Women Scientists and Innovators;
- WIPO-UNIDO-KIPO Training Course in IP-driven, Inclusive and Sustainable Industrial Development for Government Officials;
- Masterclass on IP, Valuation and Finance; and
- Artificial Intelligence & IP Workshop.
Japan Funds-in-Trust
The Government of Japan has placed particular emphasis on supporting the Academy’s work in Africa through the Funds-in-Trust (FIT/JP IP Global). These funds have been hugely important in facilitating access to IP higher education:
- WIPO Joint Master’s Degree program with Africa University and the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization;
- WIPO Joint Master’s Degree program with the University of Yaoundé II and the African Intellectual Property Organization; and
- WIPO-South Africa Summer Schools.
China Funds-in-Trust
The WIPO Funds-in-Trust China (FIT/China) and the Chinese Scholarship Council/China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) continued to support the WIPO-Tongji University Joint Master’s Degree by providing scholarships for participants.
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