The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) announces the launch of a Training, Mentoring and Matchmaking Program on Intellectual Property for Women Entrepreneurs from Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities in the Central European and Baltic States (CEBS) with the theme “Tradition Meets Business: A Woman Entrepreneur’s Journey”. Women entrepreneurs from the Republic of Moldova with businesses based on traditional textiles can also apply to this program.

The aim of the mentorship is to encourage women entrepreneurship related to tradition and culture and to popularize and promote traditional textiles both in the country and abroad.

The Program provides participants the opportunity to:

• build capacity in intellectual property and acquire the skills necessary for an effective use of the intellectual property system, including in the digital economy;
• acquire basic knowledge of related fields useful in an entrepreneurial context, such as business modelling, marketing and digital storytelling;
• benefit from the support of a mentor to further develop and implement projects and businesses based on traditional knowledge and/or traditional cultural expressions that have an IP component;
• meet amongst Program participants, share and learn from each other’s experiences;
• meet potential partners who can provide support with the implementation of the IP components of their projects and businesses.

The Program has a practical approach, consisting of two phases:

• The training phase which consists of a practical workshop that includes a mixture of short presentations, case studies and group work. During the training stage, participants will acquire basic knowledge of the main principles, systems and tools of the intellectual property system as they relate to traditional knowledge and traditional cultural expressions.
• The mentoring phase where participants, under the guidance of mentors, will implement the intellectual property components of their projects and businesses.

The Program will conclude with a final event, which will be held in Geneva, where the achievements of women entrepreneurs will be presented.

The participants will be selected according to several criteria such as:

• Representative of a local community with a business or project based on traditional textiles (lace, embroidery, carpet making, etc.);
• Motivation and availability to participate in all phases of the Program;
• Having the necessary IT skills, equipment and internet connection to participate in online activities;
• An intermediate or advanced level of English is required to be actively involved in all phases of the Program.

For registration as well as any other additional information regarding the Program, you can contact us at the phone number: 022 400 582.

The deadline for registration is November 27.

The activities of the Program will be carried out during 2023 and will take place in a hybrid format.

Since 2019, the Program has supported more than 50 women entrepreneurs from around the world.

More details on the WIPO Training, Mentoring and Matchmaking Program on Intellectual Property for Women Entrepreneurs from Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities can be found here:  https://www.wipo.int/tk/en/women_entrepreneurs/ .