A New Era of Executive Training Between WIPO and Canada
2024年10月10日
WIPO Deputy Director General Hasan Kleib and Konstantinos Georgaras, Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) signed an agreement on October 7, 2024 ushering a new era of cooperation between both institutions in the area of intellectual property (IP) training and skills-building. The agreement upgrades the long-standing cooperation framework between the WIPO Academy and CIPO to offer Executive Training Programs for senior officials coming from IP offices in developing countries and least developed countries.
The signing ceremony coincided with the start of the new and improved WIPO-CIPO Executive Training Program which was held from October 7 to 11, 2024 at CIPO Headquarters in Gatineau, Canada for the benefit of nine participants representing IP offices from Africa, Asia and Latin America.
"WIPO is very pleased to upgrade our long-standing collaboration with CIPO through this revamped Executive Program which reaffirms our shared commitment to enhance the leadership and managerial capabilities of IP offices from developing countries and least developed countries (LDCs). IP offices play a pivotal role in the innovation ecosystem of all countries, serving as conduits for ideas to travel to the market and across borders. Working together, our goal is to provide upskilling opportunities grounded in real-world experiences, and with a clear focus on using IP to deliver value to users by providing high quality IP services." - Hasan Kleib, Deputy Director General of the Regional and National Development Sector of WIPO.
"Since its inception in 1997, the CIPO-WIPO Executive Program has hosted over 200 participants from nearly 90 countries, offering invaluable training to senior IP officials globally. This year, the program, guided by CIPO’s Five-Year Business Strategy, has been revamped to better equip participants in fostering innovation and improving IP services. Participants worked directly with CIPO experts on impactful initiatives tailored to enhance their respective IP offices. This marks a new era of cooperation, further solidified by the recent agreement signed between CIPO and WIPO." - Konstantinos Georgaras, Commissioner of Patents, Registrar of Trademarks and CEO
Upskilling IP Officials
The program included a fireside conversation on the cooperation between WIPO and CIPO and practical sessions delivered by senior CIPO officials on ways to optimize IP office operations to improve the delivery of IP services.
Throughout the program, participants learned about new techniques they could implement upon their return to their home countries, and ways they could introduce more IP services for their national and regional beneficiaries.
The program covered a range of topics, including:
- IP offices as a catalyst for innovation;
- Strategic planning and performance measurement;
- Awareness and education for clients;
- Operational management of IP offices;
- IT modernization;
- Examiner trainings; and
- Economic research and IP analytics.
Each participant also delivered a presentation on their respective IP office and will work on a research project under the guidance of a dedicated CIPO advisor, which they could later implement in real-life.
What is the Executive Training Program?
The WIPO Academy’s Executive Training Program was launched in 2024 to offer short and intensive practical skills-building opportunities for IP professionals interested in:
- Leveraging IP as a tool for business growth;
- Enhancing IP negotiation capabilities;
- Building strong networks and partnerships across disciplines; and
- Developing and protecting new ideas and technologies across multiple industries in various innovative and creative sectors.