WIPO Advances Latin American Young Designers’ IP Skills Through Regional Forum in Brazil

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), with support from the Funds-In-Trust Japan Industrial Property Global, hosted the Regional Forum on Intellectual Property (IP) for Young Designers in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from September 23 to 24, 2025. The event brought together students and professors from six universities across Latin America, marking a significant milestone in WIPO’s efforts to cultivate IP skills among emerging designers in the region.

This forum followed a pilot initiative conducted between October 2022 and September 2023 in Brazil and Chile, which successfully introduced intellectual property training tailored to young designers. Encouraged by the pilot’s compelling results, WIPO expanded the program in 2024 to include universities in Brazil’s Amazon region, Paraguay, and Peru.

The forum’s primary objectives were to facilitate knowledge exchange among participants, assess the initiative’s impact and methodology, and develop strategic approaches to ensure the program’s sustainability and regional proliferation throughout Latin America.

The project’s innovative methodology integrates traditional IP education with hands-on problem-solving exercises. This approach enables young designers to create market-oriented solutions for products protected by geographical indications and collective marks, thereby linking creativity with cultural heritage and community identity.

Ms. Beatriz Amorim-Borher, Senior Director of the Department for Digitalization and Creativity (DDC) at WIPO, highlighted the program’s achievements during the forum. She reported that 210 students had been trained in intellectual property, one online course and three training toolkits had been developed, and 41 industrial design applications had been filed, with 19 already granted.

The opening session also featured remarks from key stakeholders, including Ms. Hulda Oliveira Giesbrecht, Coordinator of Emerging Technologies at the Brazilian Service of Support for Micro and Small Enterprises (SEBRAE); Mr. Alexandre Lopes Lourenço, Director of Administration at the National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI); and Mr. Ayato Sakaki, Consul of the Economic Section at the Consulate General of Japan in Rio de Janeiro. All praised the program’s impactful outcomes.

Student testimonials underscored the transformative nature of the initiative. Ms. Antonia Jaramillo from Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile described the project as “the most important experience in my whole career,” reflecting the program’s profound influence on participants.

The forum employed interactive methods to engage attendees, including collaborative workshops for brainstorming and idea development, exercises to identify challenges and opportunities, and structured group discussions to share experiences and insights. Participants utilized visual mapping platforms for co-creation activities, facilitating the development of actionable recommendations aimed at replicating and expanding the project across Latin America.

A key outcome of the forum was the establishment of a regional network connecting beneficiaries from the participating universities and countries. This network is designed to foster ongoing collaboration and peer support beyond the event, ensuring the program’s momentum continues.

Participants also formulated comprehensive strategies to scale the initiative regionally while maintaining its core focus on linking creativity with cultural heritage and community identity. This strategic planning aims to broaden the program’s reach and impact throughout Latin America and the Caribbean.