Committee for Training / Education
Committee Chairs
The IP Training and Education Committee chairs supervise and coordinate the Committee’s work to identify topics, problem areas, and tasks to be solved in the Committee’s area of IP Training and Education. These comprise means to deepen IP awareness and effective IP management in business, higher education and professional services using education and training methodologies, IP content and case studies, and IP in education.
Recent Achievements
WIPO academy’s newly launched Master Program “IP and Tech Transfer” at Sofia University in collaboration with the European Patent Office, EUIPO – European Union Intellectual Property Office, Center for International Intellectual Property Studies – CEIPI and I3PM through the I3PM Training and Education Committee represents a significant stride in creating a diverse and dynamic setting for innovative IP management education.
It’s a major achievement in the dedication to advancing intellectual property education!
Even more exciting is, though, that highly respected members of I3PM International Institute for Intellectual Property Management, among them Erica K. Smith PhD, Dr. Owais H. Shaikh, and Nina Petkovska, serve as lecturers in the IP strategy module of the program.
In the master’s program, students gain expertise in industrial property entities such as inventions, utility models, integrated circuits, and know-how relevant to technological progress and innovation. Additionally, the curriculum covers trademarks, industrial designs, and geographical indications. The program delves into the safeguarding of these entities in situations involving unfair competition and rights infringement. It also explores technology transfer and the economic realization of these rights, along with the distinctive aspects of copyright and its significance in the functioning of the industrial property system.
This program is tailored for:
- Professionals in business, public administration, and non-profit organizations
- Entrepreneurs and consultants
- Academics and researchers
Trainees have the opportunity to participate for a period of 1 year in an internship program (Pan-European Seal Program) at the European Patent Office (EPO) or the EU Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), which also provides the opportunity for future professional realization in European Institutions.
Purpose
The IP Training and Education Committee aims to support quality training and education on IP, an often misunderstood and undervalued asset. Activities are planned to raise awareness of IP for all types of organisations, individuals and IP professionals, with a special focus on IP Management. Support will be coordinated for:
- businesses, higher education establishments and financial services to better understand and communicate the nature and value of IP; and
- IP professionals to provide enhanced ways to communicate IP law, practice and management standards and methodologies.
The Committee aims to provide and be a reference for training methods, competence and skill requirements related to IP Management and other organisational functions with IP responsibilities. Further aims of the committee include facilitating and establishing a community of practice for educators within the IP field. The Committee will also monitor and support other I3PM committees on education and training-related activities.
The Committee also intends to assist with work to raise awareness and adoption of the ISO 56000 standard vocabulary, which includes an aligned set of definitions for Innovation and IP domains from the OECD Oslo Manual 4ed:2018. Similarly, the Committee will look to support work that aligns definitions of intellectual assets and IP used in management, legal and financial standards.
Overall, it is anticipated that the outputs of such activities will contribute to the success of research, innovation and commercial operations of businesses, researchers or professional services’ clients.
Challenges
The importance of IP and its integral role in overall business strategy, and the knowledge economy in general, remains poorly understood among educators, policymakers, financial services and industry. This lack of awareness, appropriate IP education and training and low uptake of IP management processes in industry limits growth and can lead to missed opportunities to protect and exploit valuable innovations, establish competitive advantages, and generate revenue through licensing and monetisation thereof. Furthermore, without a clear understanding of IP, SMEs may also be vulnerable to infringement claims, which may result in costly legal battles and damage to their reputation. Innovative IP training and education solutions will provide means to leverage the potential of these valuable intangible assets.
Core challenges in the Innovation and IP domain include:
– Confusion on what IP, innovation and inventions are. Building organisational culture always starts with the language, the same goes for Innovation and IP.
– The need for more IP case studies highlighting different types of IP and its management.
– Lack of harmonised IP definitions and IP education tailored for each audience from SMEs, to Financial Services/Professionals to IP Professionals.
– Lack of knowledge of the benefits of embedding an IP manager in an organisation and the knowledge and skill requirements for such a role.
– Lack of IP education as a business strategy discipline
Activities
The Committee will aim to establish, as a priority, a community of practice to showcase new and innovative training methodologies, content and case studies.
The Committee will also provide a link between other I3PM committees coordinating regular virtual meetings to exchange best practice and content for future I3PM activities.
Members
The experts working for the Committee have many years of IP training and education experience from commercial, IP strategy, technology transfer, government, innovation support, academic, IP law, capability building and IP standards innovation, and IP financing and valuation backgrounds.
Become a member
Join I3PM today and take advantage of the full range of benefits – I3PM is your inclusive and empowering community of international IP managers. We offer our members exclusive access to premium IP education, a strong and engaged professional network and high-level services and events.
