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Leadership Course on IP, Science and Innovation for Women Scientists

May 3, 2023

The WIPO Academy, UNESCO and the Korean Intellectual Property Office organized a four day Leadership Course on Intellectual Property, Science and Innovation for Women Scientists and Innovators from April 25 to 28, 2023 at WIPO Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.

The course brought together 20 award-winning scientists from 16 countries who were selected by the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Programme. The scientists had the unique opportunity to learn about the role of intellectual property (IP) in scientific innovation through a customized training delivered by leading IP experts. The scientists also got practical knowledge on how to use IP to protect and commercialize their scientific innovations.

  • Photo of Mr. Hasan Kleib, Deputy Director General of the Regional and National Development Sector of WIPO and women scientists

    Mr. Hasan Kleib, Deputy Director General of the Regional and National Development Sector of WIPO (center), meets with the women scientists invited to the Leadership Course on Intellectual Property, Science and Innovation for Women Scientists and Innovators from April 25-28, 2023 at WIPO Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.


    (Photo: WIPO/Berrod)

  • Photo of Women scientists invited to the Leadership Course

    Women scientists invited to the Leadership Course on Intellectual Property, Science and Innovation for Women Scientists and Innovators participating in an interactive workshop on the Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (TRIZ).


    (Photo: WIPO/Berrod)

  • Photo of Olha Kulinich, Head of the IP Academy of Ukraine

    Women scientists invited to the Leadership Course on Intellectual Property, Science and Innovation for Women Scientists and Innovators participating in an interactive TRIZ workshop.


    (Photo: WIPO/Berrod)

  • Photo of Women scientists invited to the Leadership Course

    Women scientists invited to the Leadership Course on Intellectual Property, Science and Innovation for Women Scientists and Innovators participating in an interactive TRIZ workshop.


    (Photo: WIPO/Berrod)

  • Photo of Ms. Tiffany Norwood, Serial Entrepreneur and Inventor, Dr. Helen Lee, Medical Researcher and Inventor, and Ms. Lisa Jorgenson, Deputy Director General of the Patents and Technology Sector of WIPO

    Women scientists invited to the Leadership Course on Intellectual Property, Science and Innovation for Women Scientists and Innovators participating in an interactive TRIZ workshop.


    (Photo: WIPO/Berrod)

  • Photo of Mr. Sherif Saadallah, Executive Director of the WIPO Academy and Mr. Kui Wou Kwun, Director-Advisor of the Management, Strategic Planning and Coordination Program of the WIPO Academy delivering closing remarks

    Participants of the Leadership Course on Intellectual Property, Science and Innovation for Women Scientists and Innovators taking part in the “Women in Science – Shaping the Future” roundtable discussion held on World IP Day 2023. Panelists of the roundtable discussion included Ms. Tiffany Norwood, Serial Entrepreneur and Inventor, Dr. Helen Lee, Medical Researcher and Inventor, and Ms. Lisa Jorgenson, Deputy Director General of the Patents and Technology Sector of WIPO.


    (Photo: WIPO/Berrod)

  • Photo of Participants and organizers at the award ceremony

    Mr. Sherif Saadallah, Executive Director of the WIPO Academy and Mr. Kui Wou Kwun, Director-Advisor of the Management, Strategic Planning and Coordination Program of the WIPO Academy delivering closing remarks for the Leadership Course on Intellectual Property, Science and Innovation for Women Scientists and Innovators.


    (Photo: WIPO/Berrod)

  • Photo of Participants and organizers at the award ceremony

    Participants and organizers at the award ceremony of the Leadership Course on Intellectual Property, Science and Innovation for Women Scientists and Innovators on April 28, 2023.


    (Photo: WIPO/Berrod)

What did the course cover?

The Leadership Course marks the fifth edition of the collaboration between the WIPO Academy Distance Learning Program and UNESCO in empowering women scientists to benefit from the IP system. Through a series of interactive lectures, workshops and exercises, the scientists learned more about key topics such as:

  • The fundamentals of IP in the life sciences;
  • Innovation and gender;
  • The innovation lifecycle;
  • The Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (TRIZ);
  • IP licensing and commercialization;
  • Open science; and
  • Funding and financial support for research in the life sciences.

The participants also joined a roundtable discussion on “Women in Science – Shaping the Future” which was held on the occasion of World IP Day on April 26, 2023, to spark a conversation on the vital role that women scientists play in driving innovation to improve the lives of people around the world. The roundtable was held in hybrid format and over 1,500 participants engaged in discussions on strategies to create enabling environments for women and girls to enter STEM fields and the IP system.

Scientist spotlight

After completing the Leadership Course, the scientists are eager to apply their IP knowledge in their field, to help other scientists too.

  • academy-2023-news0008-2-500

    "When you apply for IP, it makes everything much more defined and concrete. If we want to protect our technology, we need to know what is unique about it. From a business point of view, I think we have always been very IP conscious and I think it is a very important part of a scientist’s journey in understanding the application of the technology. If you ever want to put into practice what you have invented, it is critical that that IP is filed at the right time, by the right people, with the right claims." – Dr. Helen Lee, Medical Researcher, Inventor and Winner of the European Inventor Award (2016)

    (Photo: WIPO/Berrod)

  • academy-2023-news0008-2-500

    "I think at this point in time, I’m more keen on helping the students that I'm supervising. I'm thinking of identifying aspects of their projects that we can patent. My role would be to guide the students to come up with research concepts and then from there we can look at the potential for innovation, leading to invention. From the WIPO training that I have received, I will carefully study the projects that I'm supervising with my current students to identify aspects that can lead to innovation. I will be very conscious from now on and very intentional when trying to look for those aspects of innovation that can be translated into invention. So going forward, this IP knowledge is going to benefit my mentees, the students that I'm supervising.” – Prof. Jane Catherine Ngila, Scientist and Laureate of the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Award (2021)

    (Photo: WIPO/Berrod)

  • academy-2023-news0008-2-500

    "When we started thinking about IP, the university didn't have an IP office, so we kind of started learning about IP together: What does it mean to have an IP? How do we file a patent? When do we talk to a lawyer? How do we sell this? What is royalty? So all of these were questions that we had to think about together with the university. And then after we initiated this process, the university established an IP office and they started promoting IP at the university among youth, among students, and also among professors… I would like to know more about policies, treaties and legislation, and how I can encourage the youth in my country to be more creative and innovative. I want them to know about IP. I want to protect their rights, and I also want them to become rich.- Prof. Najat A. Saliba, Parliamentarian, Scientist and Laureate of the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Award (2019)

    (Photo: WIPO/Berrod)

Gender equality at the WIPO Academy

The Leadership 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.

As part of the WIPO Academy’s efforts to bridge the gender gap in IP education, the WIPO IP Training Institutions are also organizing virtual Roundtables on Women and IP Education on May 3 and 4, 2023. The roundtables provide a space for an open dialogue and experience sharing on best practices for delivering impactful IP training and awareness-raising efforts for women, and on how women can use IP as a tool to enhance competitiveness in local industries.

Sign up for Roundtables on Women and IP Education

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