Deadline: 20 October 2018
The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) is seeking applications for its International Training Programme entitled “Intellectual Property for Least Developed Countries” which is specially designed for persons qualified to participate in reform processes of importance on different levels and exercising a position in their home organization with a mandate to introduce change in social, economic, cultural and scientific institutions utilizing intellectual property as a tool for development.
The main objectives and rationale of the Programme are the following.
- To increase the familiarity with the foundational concepts and the different categories of intellectual property for the achievement of national development objectives including the strengthening of IP institutions and systems in LDCs.
- To inform about and discuss a number of specific issues, related to development, in the area of intellectual property, for example, the economic impact of the utilization of trademarks and geographical indications in facilitating growth and competitiveness in product areas of strategic importance for LDCs and the benefits of flourishing creative industries for employment creation.
- To discuss and provide examples of various aspects of international negotiations in the field of intellectual property to strengthen capacity and multilateral cooperation.
- To assess the intellectual property situation in the participating countries and identify national areas for change based on knowledge and experiences acquired from the Training Programme, as well as discussions among participants on the experiences gained from the implementation of the country projects.
- To create networks among the Swedish and international experts and the participants to share experience and knowledge. Participants will also be encouraged to form national networks of stakeholders.
Themes
The training in Stockholm will be focused on a number of special themes in the area of intellectual property, including the following:
- General aspects of intellectual property including legal, institutional and management aspects, and its relevance in the context of economic growth and development.
- The role of multilateral and regional institutions in intellectual property law formulation, implementation and administration.
- The role of intellectual property in key national public policy issues such as agriculture, education, and health and the discussion of implementation issues in the national context.
- Emerging issues in intellectual property including those related to biodiversity, environmental protection, and implications of a dynamic and fast paced technological landscape.
- The international trading system, especially the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Law (The TRIPS Agreement).
- The importance of patents as a resource of technical and scientific information for technological capacity building and their role in promoting innovation and invention.
- The role of trademarks, industrial designs, and geographical indications in contributing to economic growth and increasing competitiveness.
- The role of copyright and related rights in cultural and socio-economic development. Intellectual Property and Gender.
- Intellectual Property Law and its enforcement.
- The intellectual property system in Sweden as an illustrative example, with study visits to enable participants to witness first hand and garner practical lessons from Swedish organizations and institutions of invention, innovation, creativity and technological capacity building.
Outputs
- Awareness raising and capacity building in the concepts, theories and application of intellectual property for economic growth and development.
- The latest on the developments in intellectual property in the multilateral and regional fora including in WIPO and WTO.
- Understanding of national intellectual property policy making including in key issues of development such as agriculture, education and health.
Eligibility Criteria
- The Training Programme is specially designed for senior officials and policy makers from relevant government entities, business and industries, universities and academic institutions, research and development organizations who are involved in issues concerning intellectual property at the national level.
- The number of participants is limited to 27 in order to ensure a close working relationship between participants, lecturers and mentors.
- Emphasis will be made on the selection of senior officials with experience in areas of transfer of technology and technological capacity building in order to promote cooperation between institutions of higher learning, research institutions, industries, and business to initiate project-based activities on invention and innovation.
How to Apply
Interested applicants must download the application form via given website.
Eligible Countries: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Laos, Malawi, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.
For more information, visit https://bit.ly/2ywJe2S