The NIE Lecture Hall of the National Council for Education Research and Training (NCERT), New Delhi is a-buzz with activity. A group of 120 women scientists from different corners of India are gearing up to create, protect and manage intellectual property in India.
The Department of Science and Technology has initiated its month long training for women scientists on Intellectual Property Rights (IPR). The 11th batch selected for DST’s Women Scientist Scheme (WOS-C) programme is undergoing extensive combined orientation programme for all the centres from August 1-30, 2019 at New Delhi.
They form the fortunate group that the government has selected to entrust in helping manage its scientific IPR. While scientists and technologists in India are busy creating science and technology, these technologies constitute intellectual property which needs to be protected. However there is dearth of skilled personnel to protect these IPR. The government is training this group through a yearlong programme to develop skills for managing the IPR.
The one month intensive orientation programme on IPR is the start of the training. Lectures on IPR related matters are being delivered by renowned faculty from all over the country. The lectures sessions include Indian legal system and IPR, Basics of IPR, Detailed, information about all forms of IPR, creation & management of IPR portfolio, technology tracking through IP mapping and others related to IPR. It also includes a patent search session, field visit to Patent Office, New Delhi and an industry visit.
A three day hands on patent search session is also scheduled from August 26-28, 2019 to make the women familiar with patent search techniques and patent databases.
Exposure to Hands-On-Training
After a month long orientation programme, women will experience hands-on-training with partner agencies such as government agencies dealing with intellectual property rights, intellectual property (IP) attorney law firms, Knowledge Processing Organisations (KPOs) and companies located in and around the coordination centres. The period of hands-on-training is about 10 to 11 months.
Two workshops will also be held during the year at each centre on patent searching, claims writing and other IPR related matters. During on the job training, women are engaged in activities like preparing technology scan reports using patent analysis, filing and drafting patent applications, prosecution, novelty searches using patent databases, FTOs, IPR management, and so on.
After the training the team of women will spread across the length and breadth of India—Chennai and Kerala to Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir and the North East from where they come and join the band of women being trained by the government to protect the scientific knowledge that is being created across the length and breadth of the country.
