International Conference on Intellectual Property and Development: On 20 May 2019, the Chair joined other panellists in Geneva to share her insights on the issue of IP and Development. The Conference organised by the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) under the framework of its Development Agenda, provides a platform to discuss national, regional and international knowledge and experience on recent IP and development issues. The Chair was part of the Panel speaking on: How the IP system benefits global issues. See the conference website for more details.
3rd Annual Conference of the Association of South African Intellectual Property Law and Information Technology Law Teachers and Researchers (AIPLITL): The Chair, Professor Caroline Ncube, in collaboration with the IP Unit, will host the 3rd Annual Conference of the South African Association of Intellectual Property Law and Information Technology Law Teachers and Researchers (AIPLITL) on 1 - 2 July 2019. This year, the conference theme is The IP and IT Innovation Interface. Click here for more information.
National symposium on Intellectual Property (IP) education (15 – 17 April 2019): The Chair, Professor Caroline Ncube was in The Gambia in April 2019 at the behest of the Government of The Gambia and the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO). The Government of The Gambia and the WIPO held a 3-day symposium on Intellectual Property (IP) education.
WIPO Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (WIPO SCCR): The Chair (together with Professor Blake Reid) was at the 38th Session of WIPO Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (WIPO SCCR) to present the report of a Revised Scoping Study on Access to Copyright Protected Works by Persons with Disabilities (the Report). The Report was based on a study commission by WIPO and has been reviewed on the IPKat blog.
Research projects and networks
The Open African Innovation Research and Training (Open A.I.R.)
Professor Ncube is a one of the co-leaders and a Steering Committee member of the OpenAIR partnership. Open AIR is a unique collaborative network of researchers spread across 15 African countries, Canada, and elsewhere in the world answering two overarching questions:
How can open collaborative innovation help businesses scale up and seize the new opportunities of a global knowledge economy?
Which knowledge governance policies will best ensure that the social and economic benefits of innovation are shared inclusively?
To answer these questions, we conduct case studies on high technology hubs, informal sector entrepreneurship, indigenous entrepreneurs, and performance metrics and management practices.
Our researchers come from many disciplines, including law, economics, management, political science, and public policy. Open AIR is a partnership involving five leading universities—the University of Ottawa in Canada, the University of Cape Town in South Africa, Strathmore University in Kenya, the Nigerian Institute for Advanced Legal Studies, and the American University in Cairo, Egypt. For more information on our researchers, please see our Team page.
Open AIR has been awarded prestigious, multi-million dollar grants to support its work over the next 3-7 years. Our funding comes from the International Development Research Centre and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. This funding helps to ensure that the Open AIR network further strengthens its position as a sustainable, influential bridge of cooperation between the African continent, Canada, and the rest of the world.
Download publications and view OpenAIR videos