The 2026 WIPO Technical Assistance Webinar Series concluded on September 3, 2026, with a second and final session on “Sustainability of Results in Technical Assistance Programs.” The webinar focused on highlighting strategies for ensuring that results of technical assistance programs continue to generate benefits beyond the life of individual projects.
Organized within the framework of WIPO’s Development Agenda, the webinar brought together speakers from different regions and institutions to share practical experiences on how project outcomes can be sustained, replicated and integrated into long-term sustainable practices resulting benefits over time.
The webinar attracted over 250 participants from 40 countries. The full session is available in English, French and Spanish.
The session was moderated by Mr. Steve Thom, Director of the Division for External Offices and Least Developed Countries (LDCs), Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) Coordination at WIPO. In his opening remarks, he emphasized that the success of technical assistance is measured not only by outputs delivered, but by whether knowledge, skills, tools and institutions continue to create value after a project has ended. He also highlighted WIPO’s initiatives such as WIPO FACE and IP for HER, which help maintain engagement, peer exchange and partnerships among beneficiaries beyond the life of specific projects.
Building on this, Ms. Lilyclaire Bellamy, Executive Director of the Jamaica Intellectual Property Office (JIPO), shared Jamaica’s experience in sustaining technical assistance results through legal modernization, digital transformation and stakeholder training. She highlighted WIPO initiatives that support JIPO such as the ‘IPAS’ software suite which assists IP offices automate and manage their administrative workflow, Technology and Innovation Support Centers, business assistance programs for MSMEs and women entrepreneurs, as well as the Creative Heritage Project, through which local communities continue to use project tools to document and preserve their cultural heritage.
Following this, Mr. Turki F. Alfagheeh, Head of International Relations at the Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property (SAIP), presented Saudi Arabia’s experience from a recipient-to-provider perspective. He explained how SAIP has transformed technical assistance into institutional knowledge by updating internal curricula, manuals and training systems. He highlighted SAIP’s growing role in supporting other IP offices, including through regional cooperation, tailored training programs and the Saudi Funds-in-Trust with WIPO. He also emphasized diversifying partners and institutionalizing cooperation, citing the CDIP project on the Celebration of World Intellectual Property Examiners.
Continuing the discussion, Mr. Raimund Moser, Chief of Women, Youth and Vulnerable Communities at the International Trade Centre (ITC), shared examples from ITC’s work with small and medium-sized enterprises. Particularly, he highlighted ITC’s work in youth and trade roadmaps, including the Youth and Trade Roadmap for creative industries in The Gambia, business support organizations, the Youth Ecopreneur Programme and Uganda’s “Opportunities are Here”. He emphasized the importance of making the exit strategy part of the entry strategy, building ownership from the outset and embedding support within wider business ecosystems.
Concluding the panel, Ms. Allison Mages, Head of the IP Commercialization Section at WIPO, presented an ecosystem approach to technical assistance. She highlighted the importance of building a funnel of people to translate ideas and innovations into assets that go beyond a particular project. She explained how WIPO’s Patent Drafting Programs, Inventor Assistance Program and Scale Up Your IP initiative are connected to help move ideas from invention to market. Her presentation highlighted the importance of building skills, supporting access to IP protection and linking IP assets to commercialization strategies.
In summary, the webinar focused on the following:
- The importance of designing sustainability into technical assistance programs from the outset.
- The role of institutional ownership, partnerships and follow-up in sustaining project results.
- Practical ways to transform training and project outputs into long-term institutional knowledge.
- The value of replication, regional cooperation and ecosystem-based approaches.
- The need to connect capacity-building with market opportunities, commercialization and continued beneficiary engagement.
The webinar was part of a WIPO series launched by the Committee on Development and Intellectual Property (CDIP) to promote dialogue, share experiences and highlight good practices in technical assistance and capacity-building.
The session concluded the 2026 WIPO Technical Assistance Webinar Series.
Stay tuned for next year’s series!