The bilateral technical cooperation projects carried out by the IPI are generally funded by the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO). The IPI has funded projects with Jamaica and Kenya in the past and is currently funding a project with Iran.

In order to support structural changes in the partner countries, the projects have a duration of two to four years. The specific activities conducted within the projects are based on the concrete needs of the respective countries and are carefully assessed during the planning phase. As each country has its own explicit needs, each project is tailor-made. The partner country plays a key role in defining the focus areas of the project and in implementing the activities.

The beneficiaries of the projects in our partner countries include government agencies (mainly the respective IP office), universities, SMEs, collective management organisations, IP-related associations, and producers of local specialty products (geographical indications).

The IPI provides expertise to partner countries, usually in the form of capacity-building training sessions, studies and policy input. Our projects contribute to an improved IP system, which is expected to stimulate innovation and creativity − essential ingredients for sustainable and comprehensive economic development in the project country.