Applications are open for WIPO Indigenous and Local Community Women Entrepreneurship Program 2021. Moreover, the program aims to encourage women’s entrepreneurship, innovation, and creativity related to traditional knowledge and traditional cultural expressions by strengthening the capacity of indigenous and local community entrepreneurs to make strategic and effective use of intellectual property tools in support of their entrepreneurial activities.

WIPO will select up to 25 participants. Provided that an adequate number of applications are received, every effort will be made to select at least two participants from each of the seven geo-cultural regions recognized by the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, namely

• Africa
• Arctic
• Asia
• Central, South-America and the Caribbean
• Eastern Europe, the Russian Federation, Central Asia, and Transcaucasia
• North America
• The Pacific regions

Program Structure

WIPO Indigenous and Local Community Women Entrepreneurship Program has a practical approach, consisting of two phases

• Training phase: The training phase consists of a practical workshop that includes a mixture of short presentations, case studies, and group work. During the training phase, participants acquire basic knowledge of the main principles, systems, and tools of the intellectual property system as they relate to traditional knowledge and traditional cultural expressions. The practical workshop also provides the opportunity for participants to network and share experiences with other indigenous and local community women entrepreneurs from around the world to further develop their projects and businesses.
• Mentoring and matchmaking phase: During the mentoring and matchmaking phase, participants are expected to implement the intellectual property components of their projects and businesses. Individual participants will have mentors to provide guidance and support in the implementation of the intellectual property components of the participants’ projects and businesses. As needed, WIPO also facilitates additional assistance through its Program Partners who bring deep and valuable experiences to the table.

Outcomes

WIPO Indigenous and Local Community Women Entrepreneurship Program provide participants the opportunity to:

• Build capacity in intellectual property and acquire the skills necessary for effective use of the intellectual property system, including in the digital economy.
• Acquire basic knowledge of related fields useful in an entrepreneurial context, such as business modeling, marketing and digital storytelling.
• Benefit from the support of a mentor to further develop and implement projects and businesses based on traditional knowledge and/or traditional cultural expressions that have an intellectual property component.
• Meet amongst Program participants, share and learn from each other’s experiences, but also meet potential partners who can provide support with the implementation of the intellectual property components of their projects and businesses.

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