The Republican seminar «Intellectual property policy for universities and research institutions» was held on April 26-27, 2018. The seminar placed at Polotsk State University and became a part of the Belarusian intellectual property strategy program for 2012-2020. The event itself dedicated to the World Intellectual Property Day. This time the meeting was entitled as «The driving force of change: Women in innovation and creativity». The organizers list comprised World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), State Committee on Science and Technology of the Republic of Belarus, National Centre of Intellectual Property, Polotsk State University.
The seminar encouraged foreign and national leading experts to participate. The specialists aimed at studying the crucial points of intellectual property management and legislation also taking into account the ways of the effective knowledge transfer and intellectual property commercialization.
The seminar was opened with a welcome speech by Dmitry Glukhov (Vice-Rector for Science at PSU, PhD in Engineering, Associate Professor), Aleksey Baidak (Deputy Head of the Examination Centre of Industrial Property at the National Centre of Intellectual Property (Minsk, Belarus) and Evgeny Sesitsky (Head at the Department for Transition and Developed Countries of WIPO programs (Geneva, Switzerland).
Evgeny Sesitsky expressed his gratitude for a possibility to visit Polotsk land. He also marked the significance of a chosen place for holding a seminar: «Polotsk State University is a cradle of the Belarusian science. PSU is a holder of rich history, knowledge acquisition and transfer. Those processes are available both while education and knowledge and methods rendering with the use of intellectual property tool. Nowadays universities and research institutions represent the main generators of fresh ideas and knowledge».
Further remarkable event was connected with the presentation of World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) award to Polotsk State University. Hence, the University achievements comprised efficient creation and use of intellectual property objects and a contribution to organizing the environment facilitating intellectual property respect.
The event participants described the ways of intellectual property development in their countries. Besides, they took a deep look at the IP issues and perspectives.
Oskonbai Kozubaevich Kozubaev, Head of the State Service of Intellectual Property and Innovation under the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic (Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan): «The issues of our today`s meeting are highly important. The reason is that universities and research institutions act as key sources of intellectual property results. For example, 30% inventions in our Republic belong to academicians. We live in the age of knowledge and informatization. The majority of generated ideas and knowledge possesses commercial value. Following this idea, to exploit this potential it is necessary to set an effective intellectual property management. In this case, IP serves as a specific mechanism for conversion of knowledge into extra profit. Therefore, to help universities and research institutions to establish intellectual property results collective management and tools, there is a need to think about one`s proper documentation. Substantially, it should be a kind of complex document gathering all the IP management aspects. The main aspects include the discovery and creation, technology transfer and extra profit realization. The World Intellectual Property Organization experienced in support for countries having a desire to implement this practice at their universities and research institutions.
Today we may find the representatives of different countries. They can tell more about this procedure and share their experience. I am thankful to the organizers and I expect effective working!»
Bogdan Paduchak, Deputy Director of the Department of Intellectual Property of Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine (Kiev, Ukraine): «The legislation system in our country should be improved and updated following European practices and taking into account European Union Association Agreement. We already have some ideas how to make this real. Sooner, those ideas will be accepted by our parliament and we will establish a new platform, a new environment for intellectual property development. The area considered as highly prospective but in Ukraine as well as in Belarus there are commercialization issues. We are to build on ties between science and business and to discover areas of interest. All these we need for product inquiry and commercialization growth.
I am grateful to Polotsk State University for its hospitality. Moreover, I am thankful to National Centre of Intellectual Property of Belarus. Together with World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the mentioned institutions made it possible for me to be here. Such seminars are always in a huge demand and value as one may meet people from world distant corners. Every single country and region has its experience and problems. In general, those problems are similar. Our current environment is a place where we are able to find a way out.
It is my first visit to Polotsk State University. I feel the spirit of intellect and knowledge in-side these walls. It is a pleasure that students may plunge into it. I feel naturally comfortable here!»
Yuliya Vasilyeva, Associate Professor at the Department of Commercialization Management and Innovation at Russian State Academy of Intellectual Property (Moscow, Russia): «Nowadays we have achieved huge results in the intellectual property sphere. To say, the outcome is clear but it finds no use for commercial purposes. The results are not commoditized; they do not bring profit neither to investigators nor to enterprises whereas the latter may make extra commercial benefits. That challenges. It is a must to create an infrastructure which will support all people involved. We need a union, a so-called bridge, to make the process commoditized and to find its economic adjustment. In Russia we are already integrating such a kind of infrastructure and our investment market is actively developing. In 2015 Russian Venture Company was proved to be the leading one in Europe. All we need now for this issue to be solved is a systematic approach. It is being solving in foreign countries. People nicely deal with technology transfer. For this purpose, one needs a young with a lively mind. Being a technology transfer manager refers to a profession symbiosis: a lawyer for intellectual property rights, a manager, a marketing consultant, a businessman, an investor. This man is to perform all the mentioned roles therefore being a linking element.
Our countries have lots of inventors and creators, some countries do not. For instance, South Korea had to create tools to help youngsters to develop creativity. We have invented a lot, but for no purpose. There is no immediate result.
Actually, the presented seminar is important for universities and research institutions. The majority of inventions belong to the sphere of science. Any invention brings novelty. The novelty, in its turn, may appear as a result of fundamental or applied research. These days WIPO and government institutions intend to teach universities and research institutions the ways of the obtained results commercial appliance. Some inventions succeed in that because of a government order. But still there are variants for a university to be financed via searching for national and international investors.
Such a kind of the seminar is a common practice for developing countries, especially for CIS. They are to tackle with the issue».
Valentina Dynich, Vice Chairman of the Association for Intellectual Property Protection «BelBrand» (Minsk, Belarus): «The Association for Intellectual Property Protection is a voluntary union. The association mission is intellectual property protection and project support. We support various spheres: science, literature, art. The main difficulty, or to say it is about working issues, is to make the youngsters understand and respect their and others intellectual property rights. The young should know their rights, how to protect themselves and the intellectual property. As far as commercialization questions go they are still actual and ambiguous».
Justyna Orzhegalska-Trybalska, Head of the Department at the Faculty of Intellec-tual Property at Jagiellonian University in Kraków (Kraków, Poland): «In Poland there has been recently passed a law which allows universities and research institutions to implement and to develop its intellectual property policy. It is mainly appertained to intellectual property management at universities. This refers to business incubator and joint ventures creation at universities and research institutions. The incubators support scientific development and intellectual property objects receipt. In Poland, according to Higher Education Law, every university and research institution is to provide plagiarism check and to hold necessary control. The presented works should possess novelty not violating intellectual property rights. That is why the control is strengthened. This approach permits further development at universities and research institutions. Surely, students are informed about their responsibilities for conducting intellectual property crime. Moreover, the intellectual property course is implemented in a university curriculum. The course equips with all the necessary information including consequences caused copyright infringement.
It is worth to point out our today`s platform is a perfect soil for experience and knowledge exchange concerning intellectual property rights and policy.
I am grateful to Polotsk land for its welcoming atmosphere and the seminar organization. The format of the meeting provides experience and knowledge exchange between CIS states. Thereafter, countries gain experience for further ideas implementation back home. Poland, Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, Russia are among the participants. I would like to thank for the organizational level, I am impressed!»
