First Post-COVID-19 Economic Recovery IP Training Program for Local Entrepreneurs in Costa Rica

December 6, 2022

The WIPO Academy and the Costa Rican Academy of Intellectual Property, a WIPO supported Intellectual Property Training Institution (IPTI), delivered the first intellectual property (IP) skills building training program for local entrepreneurs from Limón, a region on the Atlantic coast of Costa Rica. The WIPO Academy helped the IPTI by assessing the training needs of the region and delivering a tailored skills-building program to meet those needs, in the framework of the WIPO COVID-19 support package.

The training program took place from November 1 to 3, 2022 at the University of Costa Rica for the benefit of more than 80 entrepreneurs, 71% of which were women, from the gastronomy, handicrafts and agro-industry sectors of the country.

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Participants of the first training program on IP for entrepreneurs, organized by the IP Academy of Costa Rica under the framework of the WIPO COVID-19 support package (Photo: Maribel Brenes Hernández)

The IP Academy of Costa Rica launched in 2019, and since then it has trained over 2,000 people, including entrepreneurs and micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). To further support the local economy in the context of post-COVID-19 recovery, the IPTI set up a training program dedicated to equipping local entrepreneurs and business owners with the IP skills they need to protect their products and services in the market.

Participants included members of the deaf community, and sign language interpretation was provided through the IPTI for the in-person portions of the program. Following the in-person training at the University of Costa Rica, participants will continue with online micro-learning sessions delivered on social media platforms, and a mentoring phase whereby entrepreneurs will be paired up with local experts from the IP Academy of Costa Rica to identify and protect their IP assets.

Using the information and skills gained in the training program, a participant started the registration process for his trademark with the Registry of Intellectual Property of Costa Rica, and several other participants expressed that they wish to follow suit.

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