Background
In April 2009, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) was mandated by its member states to carry out a pilot project to establish Technology and Innovation Support Centers (TISCs) within the framework of its Development Agenda.
In particular, the project aims to address Recommendation 8 of the Development Agenda, which calls on WIPO to “[facilitate] the national offices of developing countries, especially LDCs, as well as their regional and subregional intellectual property organizations to access specialized databases…” [italics added for emphasis].
The project approved by the WIPO Member States comprises two core clusters of activities, namely:
- Access to specialized databases; and
- Capacity building
Within the context of a joint engagement with national and regional industrial property authorities, WIPO supports the effective operation of TISCs by:
- Facilitating access to databases;
- Training of trainers and local users (on-site and distance learning);
- Providing information and training materials;
- Supporting awareness-raising activities;
- Disseminating best practices and experiences among TISCs.
Institutions hosting TISCs or interested in doing so may wish to refer to related resources collected by WIPO.
