International conference of the network of knowledge and technology transfer units of Baltic universities in Vilnius
On October 27 a high-level international conference of the network of knowledge and technology transfer units of Baltic universities was held in Vilnius. Rectors and representatives of universities from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, as well as heads of patent offices of the Baltic countries, participating in the network of knowledge and technology transfer units of the Baltic countries, took part in the conference. Participants signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with WIPO.
On Thursday, October 27, a high-level international conference of the network of knowledge and technology transfer units of Baltic universities was held in Vilnius, organized by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the State Patent Office of Lithuania and the network of Lithuanian state technology transfer offices (TTOs).
Rectors and representatives of universities from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, as well as heads of patent offices of the Baltic countries, participating in the network of knowledge and technology transfer units of the Baltic countries, took part in the conference. Five Estonian universities are part of this network: Tallinn University, Tallinn University of Technology, University of Tartu, Estonian University of Life Sciences and Estonian Academy of Arts. Tallinn University was represented by Marika Vilisaar, a legal adviser for research affairs, who had the pleasure of meeting the Assistant Director General of WIPO, IP and Innovation Ecosystem Sector, Mr Marco Aleman.
Participants shared experiences in creating a network of knowledge and technology transfer centres, discussed how to strengthen the innovation ecosystems in the Baltic region and signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with WIPO. The subject of the MoU is to establish cooperation in the field of outreach and education programs as well as the exchange of information in the areas of intellectual property (IP), knowledge and technology transfer, including social sciences and humanities by setting out the overall framework for such collaboration in terms of general context, technical areas and procedures. The rector of Tallinn University of Technology and former rector of Tallinn University, Tiit Land, was among the signatories.
At the conference, the head of WIPO's Technology Transfer Section, IO for Innovators Department (IPID), IP and Innovation Ecosystem Sector, Ms Olga Spasic, presented the results of a recent study which WIPO conducted in the summer amongst 755 participants from 88 countries and 5 continents. The study covered various incentives for researchers and knowledge and technology transfer units for the commercialization of IP. The purpose of the guide is to help universities and research institutions to support researchers and knowledge/technology transfer workers and to help identify and improve bottlenecks in technology and knowledge transfer.