Development Cooperation Projects

Through tailored projects, WIPO works closely with member states to enable communities to use intellectual property (IP) more effectively for economic and socio-cultural development.

The projects bundle practical skills-building with policy support and are developed with Member States to meet specific development priorities and local needs.

IP Cooperation Projects

Through tailored projects, WIPO works closely with Member States to enable communities to use intellectual property (IP) more effectively for economic and socio-cultural growth.

The projects bundle practical skills-building with policy support and are developed with Member States to meet specific development priorities and local needs. 

The projects bundle practical skills-building with policy support and are developed with Member States to meet specific development priorities and local needs.

All WIPO Member States can benefit from IP cooperation projects targeting specific groups of current or potential IP users across industries. Participants of the projects gain hands-on skills to:

  • brand their products,
  • register their IP,
  • protect their IP assets, plus
  • commercialize and license their products.

 Projects in numbers

WIPO has initiated 37 projects for 40 member states…

… which have achieved 97 IP registrations across trademarks, geographical indications, designs and copyright.

95% of project participants come from traditionally underserved communities ranging from women, to youth, and SMEs.

WIPO has initiated 37 projects for 40 member states…
… which have achieved 97 IP registrations across trademarks, geographical indications, designs and copyright.
95% of project participants come from traditionally underserved communities ranging from women, to youth, and SMEs.

How WIPO delivers projects for impact on the ground? 

WIPO’s IP cooperation projects follow a holistic lifecycle involving the active participation of requesting Member States, IP experts and current or potential IP users through the following process:

Identification and scoping

Processing requests for project support from Member States, and scoping discussions to understand the national context and needs.

Design and formulation

Creation of a project document in consultation with all those involved.

Approval and mobilization

Agreement on the project and allocation of relevant resources to implement it.

Implementation and monitoring

Roll-out of activities foreseen under the project, and monitoring of impact across milestones.

Evaluation and sustainability

Review of outcomes and identification of ways to maintain support for continued impact.

Communication and reporting

Sharing results and lessons learned to inspire other success stories in the country and region. 

Identification and scoping

Processing requests for project support from Member State, and scoping discussions to understand the national context and needs.

Design and formulation

Creation of a project document in consultation with all those involved.

Approval and mobilization

Agreement on the project and allocation of relevant resources to implement it.

Implementation and monitoring

Roll-out of activities foreseen under the project, and monitoring of impact across milestones.

Evaluation and sustainability

Review of outcomes and identification of ways to maintain support for continued impact.

Communication and reporting

Sharing results and lessons learned to inspire other success stories in the country and region. 

Projects spotlight

In 2024/25 more than 110 projects were implemented across Member States to empower current and future users of IP across to harness their ideas for betterment of their communities at scale.

In Trinidad and Tobago and in Saint Kitts and Nevis, WIPO worked with IP and national sports authorities to empower athletes and sports agencies to unlock greater economic value.

The project forged an Action Plan with practical policy recommendations to integrate IP into sports governance, modernize legal frameworks, protect image rights and media revenues, raise IP awareness among athletes and sports authorities, strengthen the role of sports facilities as hubs of community and innovation, and foster opportunities for entrepreneurship.

WIPO supported the development of an educational game on IP by youth through the Y2IP Bahrain project which was implemented with the Ministry of Youth, Ministry of Industry and Commerce, Fab Lab Bahrain, and the Bahrain Science Center for SDGs.

Youth across Bahrain learned how to turn creativity into opportunity through trademark registration, copyright awareness, IP strategy development, and learning through playing.

They built games to teach others how IP works, took part in bootcamps, design sprints, and engaged in co-creation sessions, mentored by national experts and creative leaders.

Through a WIPO-led project, 25 traditional medicine practitioners in Botswana are now embracing IP, branding, marketing and commercialization to enhance their products and market value.

The traditional medicine practitioners have filed for the protection of 6 trademarks and 10 traditional knowledge rights after training and mentorship from the project.

Botswana’s traditional medicine practitioners will use IP to grow their business, advance the relevance of traditional knowledge and help drive Botswana’s economic and cultural development.