TIV and the Technopolis Group organized a Series of Workshops for Surinamese entrepreneurs, government officials and policy leaders on the Commercialization of Intellectual Property (IP)

In 2018, TIV and the Technopolis group were selected by the Government in Suriname in an ambitious endeavor to draft the country’s first framework for IP regulation and policy. As part of the engagement, TIV conducted an IP Needs Assessment for the country, which revealed that the existing legislation and governmental guidance on IP law and technological transfer was very low, and in some criteria, altogether lacking. Based on the results of this study, TIV and the Technopolis group coordinated a series of workshops on “Intellectual Property (IP) – For Monetization and Business Models, Knowledge Management and Commercialization.” The workshops featured instruction from global IP and Tech Transfer leaders, with a target audience comprised of high level policy makers, including: the Surinamese IP Bureau, the Cultural Union of Suriname (CUS), the Ministry of Science, the Ministry of Trade and Infrastructure, in addition to entrepreneurs and business who could utilize IP towards profitability.

Various forms of IP including patents, copyrights, trademarks, Traditional Knowledge, and Geographical Indications, were covered. The series of lectures, discussions and brainstorming sessions were a tremendous success, with an end result of increased awareness, understanding and confidence by the participants. The workshops were subsequently followed by months of continued advisory, surveys and analyses under the auspices of TIV and Technopolis, culminating into Suriname’s “ Strategy for A Strong IP Policy in 2024.”