Professor Diogo Costa Cunha from the University of Strasbourg will Deliver will Deliver a Lecture Course on Intellectual Property Commercialization at KIU

Within the joint International Master’s Program of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Kutaisi International University (KIU) and the National Intellectual Property Center of Georgia – “Sakpatenti”, Professor Diogo Costa Cunha from the Center for International Intellectual Property Studies (CEIPI), the University of Strasbourg, co-author of the Master’s Program and WIPO’s invited expert, will deliver a Lecture Course on “Intellectual Property Commercialization and Technology Transfer” at KIU.

At the meeting held at Kutaisi International University, Mr. Soso Giorgadze, Chairman of Sakpatenti, Ms. Gvantsa Gugeshashvili, Head of the Program, Ms. Irine Kopaliani, Deputy Head, School of Management, and Professor Diogo Costa Cunha, as a co-author of the Master’s Program,  discussed the prospects for establishing a strong academic school in the field of intellectual property and innovations at KIU. Special attention was paid to the analysis of the existing challenges, including issues of deepening of sectoral examination, strengthening of the research component and integration into the international academic community. 

Mr. Soso Giorgadze noted that Kutaisi is consistently developing into the regional center of intellectual property education and research. A significant confirmation of this process is the launch of the joint International Master’s Program as well as establishment of a new Training Center equipped with modern technologies on the basis of the former Parliament building, which, in turn, will considerably strengthen the innovative ecosystem of Georgia and will enhance the competitiveness of the country on the international market. 

The one-year English-language Master’s Program “Intellectual Property, Innovation and Entrepreneurship” was launched in the autumn semester of 2025 on the basis of the trilateral Memorandum of Cooperation signed between Sakpatenti, WIPO Academy and KIU. It is noteworthy that the University welcomed the first cohort of students last year. The Master’s Program represents a unique educational initiative which has no equivalent in the region. It aims to train highly qualified specialists in the direction of intellectual property on the local as well as international levels.  The Program will ensure training of qualified specialists in intellectual property management, innovation management and entrepreneurship, which includes studying both national and international legislative frameworks, as well as business management strategies. It is important that graduates of the Master’s Program will be awarded a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree in Intellectual Property and Innovation Management.

The teaching process, together with the Georgian professors and teachers, is led by highly qualified foreign professors selected by the WIPO Academy, which ensures the compliance of the Program with the international standards, contemporary research and integration of global practices.

For Sakpatenti, as the body determining the state policy in the intellectual property field, development of the educational policy is a strategic priority, which serves to ensure the sustainability of the intellectual property system, increasing of the number of professionals and fostering of the innovative ecosystem. It is noteworthy that Sakpatenti has been cooperating successfully with WIPO in this direction over the years. The joint International Master’s Program will contribute to positioning Georgia as a regional educational and research hub, will strengthen international academic and institutional partnership and will provide new professional development opportunities for the Georgian youth.