In 2020, the Academy launched the IP Youth Ambassadors program as part of the IP4Youth&Teachers where young promising creators and inventors are selected to help promote IP education among young people in their country and region.
The criteria for an IP Youth Ambassador are:
- Between 6 – 26 years of age
- Created or invented something that is recognized at the national level (possibly a winner of some national competition etc.), or has a start-up / SME and used IP to help them in the process of launching their enterprise
- Aware user of the IP system (in general – not in specific details and does not have to be of a legal background)
- Role model material for other young creators and inventors.
2020 IP Youth Ambassador from Peru
WIPO’s first IP Youth Ambassador, Santiago Mena López, helps promote IP education among young people in the Latin American and Caribbean region under WIPO Academy’s IP4Youth&Teachers program. He is Peru’s youngest award-winning author having published his first novel Encogidos (The Shrunken) at age 14.
Santiago Mena López WIPO Academy’s First IP Youth Ambassador, PeruCreativity is linked to the very essence of human nature. Critical thinking or reflection on more profound issues is impossible without creativity. It is extremely important for human progress.
2021 IP Youth Ambassadors from Georgia
WIPO Academy awarded the 2021 IP Youth Ambassadorship for Georgia to 15-year-old Salome Tateshvili, her 17-year-old cousin Tamari Tateshvili, and their 18-year-old friend Saba Zedginidze - three teenagers at the First Public School of Akhaltsikhe for coming up with GoGeoGo - a mobile application to help tourists navigate the transport system - an idea to revolutionize tourism in their native Samtskhe-Javakheti region in Georgia. They promote IP among the youth in their country and in the Central European and Baltic States.
Tamari Tateshvili Co-founder of GoGeoGoIf you have a good idea, don’t give up on it. Start now, write it down and make a plan. People will encourage and discourage you, so you just need to be self-motivated at the end of the day. With access to a computer and internet you can achieve anything.
2021 First Asia Pacific IP Youth Ambassadors (Viet Nam)
DO Trong Minh Duc (18), TRAN Nguyen Khanh An (15), and NGUYEN Hoang Phuc (14), co-inventors of VIHELM, were handed the WIPO Academy IP for Youth Ambassadors certificate and IP educational resources by President Nguyễn Xuân Phúc of Viet Nam on November 29, 2021.
The trio researched and designed VIHELM, a powered air-purifying respirator (PAPR) to protect life against Covid19. It evolved into a battery-powered, lightweight, comfortable, flexible, and affordable product named VIHOOD after they introduced alterations.
VIHELM was inspired by NGUYEN Dinh Nam’s idea to mitigate the limitations of existing protection against Covid19, especially for frontline medical staff and essential workers. Nam is an engineer, (Photo: VIHELM) co-founder, and co-inventor of the product. He drew the young inventors’ attention to intellectual property rights and coached them to file an international patent application under the international Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) in 2021 and to apply for trademark protection.
VIHELM is available to the public under the open-source Creative Commons Attribution-Non Derivative License (CC BY-ND). It won a gold medal and was among the top five designs submitted to the August 2020 iCan competition organized by the Toronto International Society of Innovation and Advanced Skills (TISIAS).
DO Trong Minh Duc VIHELM co-inventor and Team LeaderWe wanted to do something that could help the world deal with COVID-19, and we hope that VIHELM can be used by those who need it for the greater good.
TRAN Nguyen Khanh An VIHELM co-inventorSometimes it is good to take in the negative comments... it can help you grow.
NGUYEN Hoang Phuc VIHELM co-inventorI feel so lucky that something I worked on for so long came true, it really is a great feeling to see your ideas become a reality, even if you are young and have to deal with those who doubt your ideas.