The PATLIB Knowledge Transfer to Africa initiative (KT2A)
In the two years since its launch, the initiative has expanded from 17 universities in ten countries to more than 70 in 27 countries. This initiative and its success demonstrate the commitment of the EPO in supporting the achievement of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure).
Paramount for the initiative's success is the enthusiastic commitment of the PATLIB network and close co-operation with our strategic partners, national patent offices, participating universities, ARIPO, OAPI and WIPO.
- Steps for universities having joined the initiative
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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 and, from that moment on, they form and work as a team.
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 Malawi 1 Benin 1 Mauritius 1 Botswana 1 Morocco 4 Burundi 2 Mozambique 7 Cabo Verde 2 Nigeria 11 Cameroon 1 Rwanda 1 Côte d'Ivoire 1 São Tomé and Príncipe 1 Djibouti 0 Senegal 0 Egypt 2 Seychelles 1 Ethiopia 12 Sierra Leone 1 Ghana 1 South Africa 8 Guinea 0 Tanzania 1 Kenya 1 Tunisia 4 Madagascar 3 - KT2A and the EPO's commitment to SDGs
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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
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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.
17 universities from 10 countries participated in the proof-of-concept phase. As of September 2024, more than 70 universities from 27 countries are involved in KT2A.
