First WIPO Training Course on IP for the L’Oréal-UNESCO “For Women in Science Programme”
April 5, 2018
A two-day face-to-face training course on intellectual property (IP) and the life sciences was held in Geneva, Switzerland from March 26 to 27, 2018. The seminar was organized by WIPO for the benefit of participants in the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Programme.
The main objective of the course was to provide the female scientists with the IP knowledge they need to protect and add value to their research in the life sciences. The course was customized to focus on patents, an area of IP in which the scientists expressed a particular interest.
The training course consisted of lectures, interactive exercises, a roundtable discussion with WIPO staff, a welcome by WIPO Director General Francis Gurry, and a visit to the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) where participants also met with CERN Director-General Fabiola Gianotti.
Upon completion of the course, participants received guidance from the WIPO Academy on the next steps of their IP education and its relationship to their research in the life sciences. The scientists also benefited from the opportunity to build connections between their research institutions and relevant WIPO sectors.
Topics covered
The training course covered several IP topics related to the life sciences including:
- IP and public health
- Patents and their impacts on biotechnology inventions
- The structure of a patent document
- Using patent information for informed decision making in the life sciences
- Entrepreneurship support to research output in the life sciences
- University IP policies on commercialization of research outputs in the life sciences
- Policy debates regarding patent protection issues
Participants
The participants included, Professor Heather Zar from South Africa, a laureate of the For Women in Science Progamme, who is recognized for her work on pulmonary research related to asthma, pneumonia and tuberculosis and how they affect children.
The remaining nine participants were the following rising talents from the For Women in Science Programme:
Gender equality at the Academy
The training course was organized under the Academy’s framework of promoting IP education to women and its commitment to gender equality. The WIPO Academy has consistently ensured an overall gender balance among its participants and across its courses, tutors and experts.
To continue providing support in IP knowledge to female scientists whose innovations contribute to the betterment of our world, the training course will be repeated in 2019.
We do have a deep commitment to improving the participation of women in the world of science and technology in particular.
Francis Gurry, Director General, WIPO