New WIPO Study Intellectual Property Education in Business Schools: A Global Perspective

August 31, 2023

How do business schools equip budding entrepreneurs and business students with the IP skills needed for a global knowledge economy?

To get a more informed view of the extent of IP education in business schools, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) undertook a study Intellectual Property Education in Business Schools: A Global Perspective in collaboration with the Global Business School Network (GBSN).

The study shows that IP is taught to some degree in the vast majority of business schools surveyed, but that more can be done, reinforcing the importance of collaboration among stakeholders of the innovation ecosystem, including IP governing bodies, business and educational institutions.

The study consisted of a survey distributed to a global sample of business schools, leveraging the network of the GBSN; and two follow-up workshops to delve further into the topic. More than 60 individuals representing 35 business schools from more than 25 countries responded to our survey, and 15 individuals participated in the workshops.

A few insights and findings:

89 percent of respondents to our survey said that one or more IP topics are incorporated into their curriculum. Few business schools, however, indicated that they have dedicated courses or course modules on the topic of IP.
The level of IP learning predominantly targets basic awareness of the topic (42 percent of respondents); while 34 percent said their business school program targets a general understanding of the implications of IP on business decisions (knowledge level); and 19 percent aim for a practical application level, so that students are sufficiently equipped to be able to make decisions and take action on issues related to IP.
The top three most relevant topics that business schools currently teach (or would like to teach in the future) were: the main forms of intellectual property (86 percent); ethical and social perspectives of intellectual property (80 percent); and tools and business strategies to protect intellectual property in the early stages of a business (72 percent).
Business schools feel constraints in achieving an optimal level of teaching of IP. Only 21 percent felt that there were no gaps in their curricula; while 47 percent indicated some gaps and 32 percent faced substantial gaps.
Despite these constraints, most are optimistic that the subject of IP is receiving increasing attention. Workshop participants cited three broad factors: business schools are increasingly offering entrepreneurship programs that support start-ups and give students practical experience dealing with IP issues; shifts in the global economy towards technology and digitization, with IP issues becoming increasingly important in a number of industry sectors; and a general increase in global awareness and attention to IP.
Workshop participants identified a number of strategies that could be implemented by business schools to increase students’ exposure to IP; including developing partnerships with local and regional innovation ecosystem stakeholders to give students more hands-on exposure.