European and African IP offices reach out to universities

Pilot project is intended to help African universities commercialise their intellectual property

Intellectual property organisations in Europe and Africa have joined forces on a pilot initiative to help African universities commercialise their research outputs.

The European Patent Office, which analyses patent applications and grants patents at a European level, announced on 31 March that it was launching the “University IP outreach and capacity-building pilot project” with the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization, which promotes the development and harmonisation of African IP processes.