Yuliia Svyrydenko, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy of Ukraine, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine and the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) on cooperation in the field of intellectual property.

“Strengthening cooperation with WIPO as a UN specialised agency should support the national economy, increase the contribution to the victory over the aggressor and preserve the scientific and creative potential of our people. Now we are focusing on overcoming the consequences of russia’s war against Ukraine and our European future. At the same time, we are opening new horizons of cooperation aimed at the development and reconstruction of our country,” said Yuliia Svyrydenko.

According to the First Deputy Prime Minister, with the support of WIPO and its member states, Ukraine will be able to build the basis for a stable and innovative future.

The Memorandum envisages deepening cooperation in the field of intellectual property and is focused on overcoming the negative effects of the military aggression of the russian federation on the innovation and creative sectors and the ecosystem of Ukraine.

The Memorandum defines the following areas of cooperation between the Ministry of Economy and WIPO:

• attracting international technical assistance and financial resources to meet the needs of the intellectual property and innovation sector of Ukraine;
• support for SMEs, researchers and representatives of the creative sector affected by the war;
• strengthening the capacity and providing support to Ukrainian institutions in accessing patent and non-patent databases;
• adaptation of the National Strategy for the Development of the Intellectual Property Sector of Ukraine, taking into account the negative impact of the war on the intellectual property (IP) sector;
• measures to develop human resources in the IP sphere, in particular through the activities of the National Intellectual Property Training Centre with the support of the WIPO Academy and implementation of educational, in particular, master’s degree programmes in IP;
• support for the development and functioning of the national network of Technology and Innovation Support Centres;
• development of a mediation and arbitration centre at the National Intellectual Property Authority;
• support for digital transformation of the IP and innovation sphere;
• implementation of the WIPO Inventor Assistance Programme, etc.

To remind, the medium- and long-term consequences of the war became the basis for the areas of cooperation between Ukraine and WIPO.

They were identified in the recent WIPO International Bureau report and presented during the 64th Series of Meetings of the Assemblies of the Member States of WIPO on 12 July 2023. The report is the result of a survey and consultations by the WIPO International Bureau with some 100 national stakeholders.

At the same time, the delegation of the Government of Ukraine and representatives of the Permanent Mission of Ukraine to the UN Office and other International Organisations in Geneva held a meeting with WIPO Director General Daren Tang, at which it was agreed to sign the Memorandum.