The WIPO Training, Mentoring and Matchmaking Program on Intellectual Property for Women Entrepreneurs from Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities aims to encourage women entrepreneurship, innovation and creativity related to traditional knowledge and traditional cultural expressions by strengthening the capacity of indigenous and local community women entrepreneurs to make strategic and effective use of intellectual property tools in support of their entrepreneurial activities.
The Program provides participants the opportunity to:
- build capacity in intellectual property and acquire the skills necessary for an effective use of the intellectual property system, including in the digital economy;
- acquire basic knowledge of related fields useful in an entrepreneurial context, such as business modelling, marketing and digital storytelling;
- benefit from the support of a mentor to further develop and implement projects and businesses based on traditional knowledge and/or traditional cultural expressions that have an intellectual property component; and
- meet amongst Program participants, share and learn from each other's experiences, but also meet potential partners who can provide support with the implementation of the intellectual property components of their projects and businesses.
Meet our participants
Program structure
The Program has a practical approach, consisting of two phases:

IMAGE: WIPO/Berrod
Training phase
The training phase consists of a practical workshop that includes a mixture of short presentations, case studies and group work.
During the training phase, participants acquire basic knowledge of the main principles, systems and tools of the intellectual property system as they relate to traditional knowledge and traditional cultural expressions.
The practical workshop also provides the opportunity for participants to network and share experiences with other indigenous and local community women entrepreneurs from around the world to further develop their projects and businesses.

IMAGE: WIPO/Berrod
Mentoring and matchmaking phase
During the mentoring and matchmaking phase, participants are expected to implement the intellectual property components of their projects and businesses.
Mentors are assigned to individual participants to provide guidance and support in the implementation of the intellectual property components of the participants’ projects and businesses.
As needed, WIPO facilitates additional assistance through its Program Partners who bring deep and valuable experiences to the table.
Throughout this phase, participants can benefit from several follow-up activities, including booster sessions and clinics.
Newsroom

IMAGE: Beatrice Consagra
Practical Workshop on Intellectual Property for Women Entrepreneurs from Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities from Pacific Island Countries
March 24-28, 2025 – Sydney, Australia

IMAGE: WIPO/Berrod
Practical Workshop on Intellectual Property for Women Entrepreneurs from Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities
September 18-22, 2023 - Geneva, Switzerland

IMAGE: WIPO/Berrod
Practical Workshop on Intellectual Property for Women Entrepreneurs from Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities
November 11-15, 2019 - Geneva, Switzerland
Resources
- Boosting Tourism Development through Intellectual Property
- Protect and Promote Your Culture: A Practical Guide to Intellectual Property for Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities
- Intellectual Property and Folk, Arts and Cultural Festivals – A Practical Guide
- Marketing Crafts and Visual Arts: The Role of Intellectual Property [PDF]
- Background Brief – No.4 Intellectual Property and Arts Festivals
- Background Brief – No. 5 Intellectual Property and Traditional Handicrafts