Dharmendra Pradhan Leads Signing of Key Agreement Between Atal Innovation Mission and WIPO

Union Minister for Education Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, today in New Delhi, presided over the signing of the ‘Letter of Intent’ between Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) and World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the United Nations agency that serves the world’s innovators and creators.

Executive Director, WIPO Academy, Mr. Sherif Sadallah; Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog, Shri Suman Bery; Member, Science & Technology, NITI Aayog, Dr. V.K Saraswat; Head WIPO Academy, Ms. Altaye Tedla; and Mission Director, AIM, Dr. Chintan Vaishnav and other officials were also present at the event.

Speaking at the event Shri Pradhan said that an Innovation-based knowledge economy will lead India to Viksit Bharat 2047. He said that the initiative will drive innovation, entrepreneurship and Intellectual Property programs for the benefit of all, particularly the Global South. He also mentioned that innovation is India’s strength and this path-breaking partnership between AIM and WIPO will take the best of India’s innovation models to countries that are on similar development trajectories, work to enhance understanding and awareness about IPR right from the school level, unlock the innovation potential of the world, and further inclusive and sustainable economic growth.

Shri Pradhan expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi for the vision to witness record growth in the country’s innovation ecosystem. The country has registered steady progress in the Global Innovation Index, reflecting the commitment to nurturing creativity and entrepreneurship, he added.

Scope/ Objectives of the Indo-WIPO Joint Program

•     Taking the key AIM programs (ATL, AIC models) to the nations of the global south and those in transition; this would include structuring country-specific programs basis, as the country needs.

•     Enhancing the understanding of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) among various stakeholders, particularly students, teachers, innovators and entrepreneurs of India.

•     Enhancing the understanding of the importance of IPR for development and economic growth, considering the educational and training needs of students, teachers, innovators and entrepreneurs of India.

•     Establishing a network of trainers of innovation, creativity, and Intellectual Property (IP) and

•     Familiarizing the target beneficiaries and learners with the theories of innovation and creativity.

Both WIPO and AIM-NITI Aayog intend to jointly work on structuring programs to take India’s Innovation Model (ATL & AIC) to other countries. Both organizations shall also closely collaborate in the designing and implementation of various IP training and capacity-building program(s), taking into consideration the specific requirements of the ecosystem and doing preliminary needs assessments of the target beneficiaries.