The International Master’s Program in Intellectual Property is Planned to be Introduced for the First Time in Georgia

The meeting of Mr. Soso Giorgadze, Chairman of Sakpatenti, and Mr. Giorgi Khubua, Rector of Kutaisi International University, took place at Kutaisi International University (KIU). During the meeting, the parties discussed the issue of introduction of the international Master’s program in intellectual property in Georgia. The meeting was attended by Ms. Nino Chikovani, Deputy Chairperson of Sakpatenti, and Ms. Gvantsa Gugeshashvili, Assistant Professor.    

“Intellectual Property, Innovation and Entrepreneurship” will be the joint Master’s program of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Sakpatenti and KIU, which is aimed to facilitate access to intellectual property education at the Master’s level, to support higher education in intellectual property on the advanced level and transformation into the international IP training center in the region. This is especially important as the program is intended for Georgian as well as foreign students.

Negotiations on introduction of the program are conducted on the initiative of Sakpatenti, and with the participation and active involvement of partner organizations, namely, the WIPO Academy and KIU, the legal basis for implementation of the program – the trilateral memorandum – is being prepared. Signing of the memorandum is planned after completion of the program curriculum and obtaining accreditation, before announcement of enrollment of applicants for the program. 

For Sakpatenti, educational policy is a priority direction, which is a guarantee of the rapid development of intellectual property and increase of the number of professionals in the given field. To achieve this goal, Sakpatenti Training Center offers courses, training sessions and seminars for different target audiences, aiming  to raise the qualification of specialists. The vision of Sakpatenti and its Training Center is gradually becoming wider, which was expressed in the initiative to introduce the Master’s program, being in compliance with international quality standards, tailored to the needs of target groups and focused on tangible results. The academic knowledge gained in the IP field and continuous development of this direction will contribute to the creation of a healthy business environment and sustainable economic development in the country. 

The mission of Sakpatenti is in line with the goals of the WIPO Academy and KIU to affiliate with Kutaisi University the Master’s degree program satisfying modern international standards. The above-mentioned decision will facilitate considerably training of specialists in this sphere, development of the given field and, in general, will support raising of public awareness in the direction of intellectual property. 

It is noteworthy that within the University Partnerships Program, the WIPO Academy conducts joint Master’s programs in IP with 18 reputable universities in 17 different countries of the world (Argentina, Bulgaria, Cameroon, China, Italy, India, Kazakhstan, Morocco, Oman, Philippines, Poland, Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, Türkiye and Zimbabwe). 

Within the program, the support of the WIPO Academy is expressed in the development of curricula, as well as in the provision of the teaching process with IP training and reference materials. In addition, experts invited by the WIPO Academy will be involved in the training. It should be noted that the joint Master’s programs of the Academy will be available in 5 different languages (Arabic, English, French, Russian and Spanish), depending on the selected university. 

The curriculum to be implemented in Georgia will be developed jointly by the WIPO Academy and directly by the partner university - KIU. 

At the meeting attention was focused on the WIPO Academy joint Master’s programs, specializing in different areas of intellectual property, from the purely legal aspects of the subject to more entrepreneurial skills such as  IP management, business management and applied research on IP topics. The mentioned directions are implemented to support business growth and economic and social development.

The provisional period for launching of the program is 2025.