PATLIB Knowledge Transfer to Africa
The PATLIB Knowledge Transfer to Africa (KT2A) initiative
The Knowledge transfer to Africa initiative (KT2A) was launched in 2022 to foster innovation and technology transfer by disseminating the experience, expertise and best practices of the PATLIB network beyond Europe's geographical boundaries. The PATLIB network comprises over 300 patent information centres spread across 37 countries in Europe. These centres provide access to patent information and guidance on intellectual property rights and related services, including technology transfer, IP strategy and IP commercialisation.
The PATLIB centres contribute to the KT2A initiative by providing training and mentoring to participating universities, as well as by entering twinning partnerships with them. Training, mentoring and twinning are the core activities of the initiative.
Paramount for the initiative's success is the enthusiastic commitment of the PATLIB network and the participating universities, and close co-operation with our strategic partners: national patent offices (NPOs), African Regional Intellectual Property Organisation (ARIPO), Organisation Africaine de la Propriété Intellectuelle (OAPI) and World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) with its Technology and Innovation Support Centres (TISC) network.
- Steps for universities having joined the initiative
The institutions participating in the KT2A initiative are nominated by their respective national or regional intellectual property office. Each university nominates a focal point for collaboration with the EPO and the PATLIB network. The focal point serves as the university’s representative, working closely together with EPO and the PATLIB network.
The focal point defines the goals they would like to achieve for their university by participating in the initiative. Each team member provides the EPO with information on their prior experience or knowledge in the areas of intellectual property and technology transfer, as well as their own needs to help the university reach its goals. Based on this information, the EPO designs an individual Institutional Development Plan (IDP) for the university that is proposed in agreement with them.
The IDP designs a training path with specific training modules and courses, the majority of which are self-paced e-learning tools that are available for them any time on the e-learning centre of the European Patent Academy. Also included in the IDP are regular online question and answer sessions delivered by members of the PATLIB expert network to the Anglophone, Francophone and Lusophone speaking universities in the respective languages. Upon request from participating universities, extra training is also designed and provided by PATLIB experts and made available to all participants of the initiative.
In parallel to the training, specially assigned EPO mentors and PATLIB experts engage directly with the universities and provide advice on the creation of services of the training and learning needed to achieve their goals.
When a university informs the EPO that they are about to reach, or have reached their goal(s) and they require help in turning the newly-gained knowledge into new services or upgrading existing ones, is when the twinning kicks in. The EPO analyses and compares the needs of the university with the offerings, experience and best practices of the pool of PATLIB centres willing to be twinned and suggests a match. The success of the twining match very much depends on this careful analysis.
Number of universities participating per country
Country Name Number Country Name Number Angola 6 Mauritius 1 Benin 1 Morocco 6 Botswana 1 Mozambique 8 Burundi 2 Namibia 1 Cabo Verde 2 Nigeria 12 Cameroon 1 Rwanda 1 Côte d'Ivoire 1 São Tomé and Príncipe 1 Djibouti 1 Senegal 0 Egypt 3 Seychelles 1 Ethiopia 12 Sierra Leone 1 Ghana 3 South Africa 8 Guinea 0 Tanzania 1 Kenya 1 Tunisia 4 Lesotho 1 Zambia 1 Madagascar 3 Zimbabwe 1 Malawi 1 - KT2A and the EPO's commitment to SDGs
At the European Patent Office, we are fully committed to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). They are at the heart of our organisational mission and shape all our initiatives. These global objectives are our guiding light, showing us the way to a fairer, more sustainable and more prosperous world. By aligning our strategies with the SDGs, we are making a real contribution to global progress while fulfilling our commitment to social responsibility and environmental stewardship. Through our dedication to innovation and collaboration, we are tackling the world's most pressing challenges and advancing the SDGs, making a tangible impact on communities worldwide.
- Key facts and figures
The KT2A initiative was launched in April 2022. Its first phase (proof of concept) involved ten countries and 17 active universities and ended in December 2022. In view of the very positive feedback and results, it was decided to expand the initiative to more universities and more African countries. Now, the consolidated KT2A continues to grow and advance.
KT2A Partner countries in 2026
17 universities from 10 countries participated in the proof-of-concept phase. Currently, more than 80 universities from 31 countries are involved in KT2A.History timeline of KT2A
2025
- Currently, more than 80 universities from 30 countries are involved in KT2A
- 18 active twinning partners
- PATLIB conference 2025 Roundtable: Women driving IP progress in PATLIBs and Academia
- Women at the forefront of IP workshop series
- IPBI training platform launched in French language
- 16 tailored online training sessions organised for KT2A participants
2024
- PATLIB 2024 hybrid conference - KT2A twinned partners report on activities
- 77 universities from 28 countries, 17 universities twinned with PATLIB centres
- PATLIB experts present IP and the SDGs at hybrid seminar in Nigeria on World IP Day
- IPBI Modular training course to KT2A participants launched
2023
- 64 universities from 24 African countries participating in the KT2A initiative
- PATLIB hybrid seminar in Abuja, Nigeria
- First KT2A university twinned with a PATLIB centre
- OAPI Innovation Fair in Abidjan, Ivory Coast
- KT2A participants report on their achievements at the PATLIB 2023 conference
2022
- PATLIB hybrid seminar in Harare, Zimbabwe
- First IDP delivered
- Pool of PATLIB experts for KT2A initiative launched
- KT2A launch with 17 universities from ten African countries
