Services

National and regional capacity building exercises for:

1. policy makers across government institutions such as Ministries of Health, Ministries of Trade, Ministries of Foreign Affairs, and patent offices,
2. patent authorities and examiners to strengthen patent examination processes and
3. the judiciary.

Expert advisory services with the following components:

1. Services provided on demand and all correspondence treated confidentially
2. Expert response to individual questions – requests for information or advice concerning the use of TRIPS flexibilities for public health purposes
3. Expert reports that review and assess national IPR policies and laws, and guidelines for examination of pharmaceutical patents
4. Expert analysis of selected patent applications on the merits of a new specific drug patent application that is filed nationally

In-country missions can be designed upon request to further support for governments to support actions to put in the place legal and policy frameworks necessary that permit the use of TRIPS flexibilities, including the identification of IP barriers in the country for expanding access to treatments and options to overcome these, experiences and practices in other countries, and assessment of the country’s IP policies/laws.

South-South cooperation on best practices through educational exchange visits among patent examiners; these educational visits will provide the participants with direct exposure to each other’s policies, practices, and situations, thereby accelerating the emulation of good practices.