Andrés Izquierdo
On April 28th, 2023, the Committee on Development and Intellectual Property (CDIP – 30th Session) at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), approved a pilot project CDIP/30/9/REV on Text and Data Mining (TDM) to support research and innovation in universities and other research-oriented institutions in Africa. PIJIP has been participating as an observer on this Committee since 2022.
The pilot project aims to increase awareness and enhance the capacity of universities and other research-oriented institutions in Africa to use TDM, enabling the utilization of AI tools, generating and sharing knowledge on TDM by documenting best practices of universities and research institutions in the region, and strengthening the skills of staff from African universities and research institutions.
The main stakeholder groups identified as relevant to this project are public and private research institutions; universities; text and data mining researchers; communities of creators and innovators; and publishers.
The pilot project will begin by mapping the current treaty implementation, legal framework, and licensing schemes, as well as existing materials such as studies and toolkits in the region, to assess the use of TDM in research, particularly by universities and research-oriented institutions. In the second step, the project will collaborate with three pilot universities in Africa, along with input from other regional stakeholders, to develop case studies on the application of TDM in research, using the information and experiences gathered during the mapping process.
As a last step, the project will use the insights gained from the case studies to develop training materials on TDM’s effective use by universities and research-oriented institutions in Africa, which will undergo peer review by experts in the field, followed by two regional training seminars for a wider range of stakeholders as the final step.
The project addresses Development Agenda (DA) Recommendations 4, 10, 16, 25, and 27. Moreover, this proposal is in line with WIPO’s Medium-Term Strategic Plan (MTSP) for 2022-2026, including its vision, which is to help create “a world where innovation and creativity from anywhere is supported by intellectual property (IP) for the good of everyone”, and its mission to “lead the development of a balanced and effective global intellectual property ecosystem to promote innovation and creativity for a better and more sustainable future”.
The pilot project is also in line with WIPO’s proposed future direction to achieve the Program of Work and Budget for 2022/23 Expected Result 2.2: “Bring the international community together to proactively address, at the global level, emerging issues and policy challenges relating to IP, innovation and creativity”, and in particular, to create “spaces for information sharing, the exchange of best practices, and other important reflections,” to “enrich understanding of emerging IP issues among stakeholders and the broader user community”.
The proposal put forth by the African Group for a pilot project on Text and Data Mining CDIP/30/9 REV presents a promising chance to survey the legal terrain and implement TDM initiatives across three diverse countries, with the aim of enhancing research and innovation in African universities and research oriented institutions. The project also seeks to produce educational resources for TDM use in scientific research that can be replicated in other developing countries and regions in the world.
