Ten years ago, WIPO launched the Inventor Assistance Program (IAP) with a clear vision. Every brilliant idea should have the opportunity to be protected by a valuable asset, regardless of the inventor’s financial circumstances.
This milestone made the IAP Best Practice Summit 2025 especially meaningful. The global IAP community gathered in Geneva on September 16 and 17, 2025. Representatives from patent offices, the IAP’s volunteers, supporters, and beneficiaries shared best practices and outlined approaches for the Program’s continued growth.
The event honored inventors driving progress, volunteers making dreams possible, and partners who’ve made the IAP a global success, strengthening innovation ecosystems worldwide.
Since its pilot launch in 2015 with Colombia, Morocco, and the Philippines, and official unveiling in October 2016, the IAP has evolved into a global amplifier for innovation ecosystems. Today, the Program operates across ten countries. Partnerships between national intellectual property (IP) authorities, volunteer patent professionals, supporters, and WIPO overcome financial constraints through dedication that transforms lives.
I’m proud that our hopes and efforts have resulted in transformative impact. We have built a solid Program that changes the lives of innovators, unlocking opportunities and enabling solutions to pressing problems to reach those who need them most.
– Mr Marco M. Alemán, WIPO Assistant Director General for the IP and Innovation Ecosystems Sector
A Decade of Impact
Over 260 beneficiaries, including 61 small and medium enterprises (SMEs), have received support through the IAP since 2015. More than 250 volunteers around the globe provide their services free of charge. They help inventors navigate the patent system and protect their inventions at home and abroad. Over 70 beneficiaries have secured at least one patent – more than 70 innovations that might never have seen the light of day without the Program.
Behind each number is a real person whose life changed. There’s also a community that benefited from innovation and an economy strengthened by new IP assets.
The Program’s reach extends far beyond numbers. Through this partnership, innovation ecosystems were strengthened across participating countries. The IAP has empowered local patent professionals to develop their patent drafting skills and enhance pro bono practices. It has raised awareness of the value of patent assets and the practical aspects of their protection and use.
Innovation Stories That Inspire
The event highlighted remarkable innovation journeys of IAP beneficiaries whose inventions demonstrate the Program’s success.
José Eulises Suárez developed an innovative ceramic production system and multi-function processing machine. Francisco Revelo Bolaños created a smart anti-theft vehicle protection device. Mark K. Bantugon pioneered sustainable resin compositions from Canarium Ovatum tree. Jorge Delgado Sáenz engineered wastewater treatment solutions for oil industries. Vonnie Mokgaetsi Baloyi developed eco-friendly sustainable energy solutions. Dr. Lizah Dorao-Pascual created nerve guidance conduits, offering new hope to victims of nerve damage and paralysis.
These inventions represent progress and human ingenuity at its finest.
The IAP beneficiaries show how the Program enables visionaries to create solutions with the power to transform lives both locally and globally.
No matter where you come from, innovation has the power to change lives. From starting as a rural woman with only a dream, to now being recognized by WIPO and the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC), this journey proves that even grassroots innovators can stand tall on global stages.
– Mrs Vonnie Mokgaetsi Baloyi, South African IAP beneficiary
Charting the Next Decade
While celebrating achievements, Summit participants focused intensively on evolving needs and opportunities. Building on insights from the 2024 Summit, discussions centered on critical areas for the Program’s further development to unlock even greater impact. The growing demand for support beyond patent drafting and prosecution services, particularly in commercialization assistance, emerged as a top priority. Participants explored ways to better connect the IAP with other national programs and services to maximize support for IAP beneficiaries.
Discussions addressed the need to enhance the patent profession in IAP participating countries through patent drafting training programs. Participants sought solutions to enable more beneficiaries to secure inventions not only in their home countries but also expand protection to foreign markets, including through the PCT system. They strategized on improving outreach channels to better reach and serve local innovators, ensuring no promising invention goes unnoticed due to lack of awareness.
The Power of Partnership in Action
The IAP Best Practice Summit 2025 reinforced that the IAP’s strength lies in its collaborative approach. Country focal points adapt the Program to local needs, volunteer patent specialists provide expertise that transforms uncertainty into confidence and ideas into assets, and support from sponsors and guidance from the Steering Committee members ensure the Program continues to evolve and expand its impact.
The IAP remains fundamentally a partnership – between governments, volunteers and sponsors supporting the Program, our Steering Committee, and WIPO. This collaborative approach is critical to the Program’s continued success and the synergies we create together.
– Mr David J. Kappos, Partner, Cravath, Swaine & Moore and the IAP Steering Committee Chair
For the second year, the IAP Best Practices Summit was sponsored by Funds-In-Trust Japan Industrial Property Global.
A Foundation for the Future
The event demonstrated that when dedicated communities unite behind promising ideas, they can create transformative changes that transcend borders and economic constraints. Looking ahead, the Program has expanded its reach and enhanced services that promise to support even more inventors in protecting and bringing their innovations to the market.
Participants departed with renewed commitment and concrete strategies for strengthening innovation ecosystems in their home countries. The insights gained from this celebration of ten years of success will serve as a solid foundation for the IAP’s continued evolution and local implementation in the years ahead.
The 10th anniversary milestone proved that the original vision remains not only relevant but essential in an era of unprecedented global innovation and technological transformation. The next decade promises even greater impact for the Program.