Beirut, 16 November (UN Information Service) — ESCWA Technology Centre (ETC) today opened a workshop on “Intellectual Property (IP) and Technology Transfer for Universities and Research Institutions” in El Hassan Science City, Amman, Jordan. The workshop is organized in cooperation with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) office in Jordan. ETC Executive Director Fouad Mrad delivered an inaugural statement in which he welcomed participants, noting that it was the first official activity of the Centre that came only one day after its formal launch. “It is only logical that the complete virtuous cycle of development the Centre aims to strengthen in the region starts with universities and research centres,” he added. Mrad asserted that institutionalized technology transfer processes are therefore essential for universities and research to play a significant role in driving development. “Unfortunately, ESCWA member countries have not adequately exploited science and technology capacities for enterprise and socio-economic development. There is a need to reconfigure a formal role of the economic cycle for universities and research, where universities become the clinic of choice for research and development problem-solving of industry and communities,” Mrad said. Advisor at the Regional Bureau of WIPO for Arab Countries, Samer Al Tarawneh, said in his statement the industrial revolution and the associated digital revolution made it imperative to craft new economic policies capable that of keeping pace with the quantum leaps made in innovation with all its forms and manifestations. He added that the great advances achieved in the intellectual property system as a result of rapid expansion in knowledge systems requires qualified staff at the governmental level and with the private sector in order to effectively and practically deal with this system. Al Tarawneh emphasized that there can be no creativity without research and development, which in turn cannot exist meaningfully without clear government policies. “Countries wishing to compete in the new economic system need to develop strategies conducive to uncovering talents and stimulating their innovations at all levels,” he said. The workshop concludes 16 November, and it aims at developing IP assets and strategies and managing technology transfer for universities and research institutes in ESCWA member states. Participants include professors and experts in this field from different global institutions. You can download materials presented during this workshop by accessing ETC website on: http://www.escwa.un.org/divisions/ictd/etc/main.asp