The 2024 Intellectual Property Summit, themed “Jumpstarting the Journey in the Tech Transfer Cycle,” concluded on December 6, 2024. The three-day event, held in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, brought together 26 participants from 13 Indo-Pacific countries.
The Intellectual Property Summit is a part of The Fulbright Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer, a program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs. The two-year program aims to promote U.S. best practices in intellectual property and technology transfer. The participating countries include Maldives, Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Papua New Guinea, and Fiji.
The summit’s opening ceremony took place at Fulbright University Vietnam, where President Scott Fritzen welcomed the participants, many of whom were visiting Vietnam for the first time.
Anne Benjaminson, Deputy Principal Officer at the U.S. Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City, delivered the keynote address, reaffirming the U.S. government’s commitment to supporting the Indo-Pacific region in strengthening its intellectual property frameworks and fostering innovation.
The summit focused on the different stages of the technology transfer cycle, from ideating and filing the invention, all the way to licensing and commercialization. The participants, many of whom are new to technology transfers, are excited to start their own tech transfer office or improve their existing ones. Together with Fulbright and the US State Department program, they will continue on their learning journey until the next IP Summit in 2025.
