Next month, the World Intellectual Property Organization (“WIPO”) will be hosting a life sciences symposium regarding the various national and institutional options for life sciences public sector IP management. According to the WIPO press release (link below), this seminar, to be held on December 15, 2008 in Geneva, Switzerland, the symposium “will explore different national approaches, institutional policies and public-private partnerships, with a view to learning from practical experience,” providing “informal discussion on these themes with the aim of reviewing the central issues in public sector IP management in the life sciences.” In addition, this meeting “will help identify the core options, at the strategic and project levels, review the implications of each, and will consider the factors to weigh when working through these options,” seeking “to identify the factors that have influenced policy choices to assist general understanding of policy options in this domain.” Additional information regarding this seminar, including background information pertaining to the impact of public research institutions on life sciences research, is provided in the link below.

WIPO Announcement: LINK