Since the TISC program was launched in 2009, 94 countries have signed service-level agreements (SLAs) with WIPO to establish national TISC networks; in 2025, Mexico was the latest addition to the global network. At regional level, a milestone was marked with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the African Intellectual Property Organization (OAPI), formalizing the intent to develop a regional TISC network and strengthen TISCs within OAPI member states.
The worldwide growth of TISC networks continued to be accompanied by a surge in demand for TISC services. In 2025, TISCs received more than 2.5 million inquiries from local researchers, inventors and entrepreneurs, the main beneficiaries of TISC support.
The year also marked the global launch of the TISC Staff Certification Program, designed to upskill and professionalize TISC staff by equipping them with the practical IP knowledge required to effectively support innovators in their respective countries. Of the 259 participants on the TISC Foundation Certificate Course, 161 successfully completed the program and are now certified TISC staff, with verifiable credentials.
In IP analytics, several key initiatives were implemented to strengthen capacity-building and knowledge dissemination. The Spanish version of the beginner-level game-based learning tool Patent Quest was launched during a WIPO National Seminar on Patent Technology Information and Patent Analysis for TISCs in Santiago, Chile. This was complemented by the development and release of a more advanced version of the game, designed to engage experienced users through interactive, knowledge-sharing gameplay, and is now integrated into WIPO training activities for TISCs.
In parallel, WIPO expanded its analytical publications with the release of the third edition of the WIPO Technology Trends report, the Future of Transportation, followed by a new Patent Landscape Report on occupational health and safety technologies.
Further enriching its knowledge products, WIPO introduced a publication series, WIPO Technology SPARK, in October 2025. The series provides concise, targeted analyses of emerging technology areas, offering more focused insights than broader flagship reports. The inaugural edition, Technologies for Mine Action, developed with the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining, examines the global patent landscape surrounding humanitarian demining solutions, a critical field addressing the humanitarian challenge posed by landmines and the explosive remnants of war.
In the area of IP commercialization, 2025 marked the 10th anniversary of WIPO’s Inventor Assistance Program (IAP), an initiative that supports inventors and small businesses with limited resources by connecting them with volunteer patent professionals, who provide free guidance through the patenting process. To commemorate this achievement, a Best Practice Summit was held in September, alongside an exhibition showcasing the program’s impact. The event convened stakeholders from patent offices, volunteers and inventors across the 10 IAP participating countries, facilitating the exchange of best practices, celebrating innovation success stories and recognizing the contributions of IAP volunteers and coordinators. The program expanded its scope to include support for IP commercialization, complementing its existing services in patent drafting and prosecution.
WIPO’s Scale Up Your IP Program was also launched. It aims to grow local capacities of deep-tech ventures in integrating IP into their go-to-market strategies with a set of IP commercialization modules, handouts and exercises to support them in bringing their technologies from lab to market and eventually scaling up.
Digital platforms and tools are essential to allowing TISCs to manage their services effectively and access information and knowledge.
The TISC Project and Performance Management Platform (TPPM) was further enhanced to facilitate the effective management of TISC projects and related activities, enabling TISC focal points and TISC managers to collect, analyze, and disseminate data on their results.
eTISC, which provides a dedicated virtual space for TISCs to interact and exchange knowledge and ideas, attracted more than 30,000 visitors during the year, including for a series of Ask the Expert sessions on institutional IP policies.
The Knowledge and Technology Transfer webpage and the Institutional IP Policies Database, both accessible through the WIPO INSPIRE platform, were also revamped. The database was expanded and now provides access to more than 1,500 IP policy documents from some 700 institutions worldwide, including policies and guidelines addressing emerging areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), further strengthening it as a comprehensive resource for universities, research institutions and policymakers.