Education, training, support, and awareness-raising are at the core of the capability and capacity building activities that FIT Japan IP Global contributes to and/or undertakes.
Enhanced Human Resource Capacities
Scholarships
Master’s degree in Intellectual Property (MIP)
Each year selected students are granted scholarships to study MIP degrees offered jointly by WIPO and African academic institutions, namely Africa University (Zimbabwe) and l’Université de Yaoundé II (Cameroon). Up to 12 students are selected per program.
- Congratulations to the Graduates of the Joint Master’s in IP with Africa University and ARIPO, June 11, 2022, Mutare (Zimbabwe)
News article - Sub Regional Workshop in MIP Program, Africa University, From University Research to Intellectual Property, Commercialization and Entrepreneurship, June 3 and 4, 2021, Virtual.
News article | Meeting documents - Published - Landmark Intellectual Property Textbook from an African perspective.
News article
WIPO Summer School
Each year up to 10 selected students are granted scholarships by FIT Japan IP Global to participate in the WIPO Summer School in South Africa.
WIPO International Patent Drafting Training Program
A number of participants are granted scholarships by FIT Japan IP Global to attend Geneva workshop in the WIPO International Patent Drafting Training Program.
- Building a Community to Translate Innovation Into Growth.
News article
Fellowship programs
Long-term fellowship
In 1997, the first two fellowships under the FIT Japan fellowship program were awarded to a senior lecturer from Delhi University and to a senior manager from China’s State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO) of China. The fellowships were awarded to teachers or trainers of industrial property in industrial property offices, and faculty members engaged in the training or teaching of industrial property at universities.
- Research by Long-Term Fellows Supported by Japan FIT/IP
List of research themes
Following the successful initial fellowship program at Osaka Institute of Technology (OIT) since 2016, three months’ fellowship at Japanese Universities has been offered to selected technology transfer professionals.
Under the pandemic of COVID-19 since 2020, the Online IP Study Courses, as a substitute program for this fellowship have been successfully held at the OIT.
- Online IP study courses in Osaka, Japan, May 12 to July 29, 2022
News article - Online IP study courses in Osaka, Japan, September 28 to December 14, 2021
News article - Online IP study courses in Osaka, Japan, September 29, 2020 to January 19, 2021
News article
Short-term fellowship
Two-week period fellowship programs had been offered to IP-support institutions’ staffs in developing countries, who have completed the L.L.M course on IP under the WIPO scholarship.
The format of the programs has been changed since Japanese fiscal year 2022, and currently short-term fellowship programs have been offered to international students enrolled in Japanese Universities who are interested in and considering a career in IP. The programs are to be implemented in close cooperation with host entities that are expected to be patent firms, university technology transfer offices, or IP management offices of private companies and science parks in Japan, in order to offer students and young professionals of developing countries opportunities to gain practical experience in the field of IP.
- 2022 programs (News article)
- 2023 programs (News article)
Training
Examination
Training on examination aims to enhance the capacity of national and regional IP offices to examine industrial property applications.
Recent topics:
- November 6 to 8, 2019, Tokyo (Japan) (Meeting documents)
- June 27 to 29, 2018, Tokyo (Japan) (Meeting documents)
Workshops on IP enforcement
Workshops to build capacity of judicial and law enforcement officials have been held to discuss topical issues on building respect for IP and enhance participants’ knowledge and expertise in the field of enforcement of IP.
Recent topics:
- November 14 to 16, 2023, Asunción (Paraguay) (News article, Meeting documents)
- October 2 and 3, 2023, Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) (News article, Meeting documents)
- October 27 and 28, 2022, Manila (The Philippines) (News article, Meeting documents)
- December 1 and 2, 2021 online (News article, Meeting documents)
Patent drafting courses
Patent drafting courses have been held to enhance capacities of potential trainers and key persons in developing countries.
Recent topics:
- June 12 to 16, Geneva (Switzerland) (Meeting documents)
- July 4 to 8, 2022, Geneva (Switzerland) (Meeting documents)
- September 2 to 6, 2021, Harare (Zimbabwe) (Meeting documents)
- January 21 to 25, 2021, Bangkok (Thailand) (Meeting documents)
WIPO Roving seminar
Recent Topics:
- July 20 and 21, 2017, Dar es Salaam (Tanzania)
- July 17 and 18, 2017, Zanzibar (Tanzania)
- March 24 and 25, 2017, Lilongwe (Malawi))
- March 20 and 21, 2017, Blantyre (Malawi)
TISC support
FIT Japan IP Global has sponsored numerous seminars, workshops and trainings for Technology and Innovation Support Centers (TISCs), which aim to enhance the capacity of researchers and inventors in developing countries to use IP information in their innovation activities.
Recent topics:
- September 28 and 29, 2023, Yaoundé (Cameroon)
- February 23 and 24, 2023, Harare Zimbabwe)(News article)
- March 14 to 16, 2023, Nouakchott (Mauritania)(News article)
- March 27 and 28, 2023, Surabaya (Indonesia) (New article)
- May 23 and 24, 2023, Algiers (Algeria) (News article, Meeting documents
ASEAN Industrial Designs Formalities Study Project
Workshops and discussions to harmonize and further simplify the design formality requirements of ASEAN member states.
Recent Topics:
- Workshop on website optimization and development of customer-centric content, November 29 to December 1, 2023, Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)