Since 2020, Switzerland and Iran have been cooperating in the framework of the Iranian-Swiss Intellectual Property Project (IRSIP). The project is funded and implemented by the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property and its main Iranian partner is the Intellectual Property Centre of Iran. The overall objective of the IRSIP is to strengthen the Iranian intellectual property (IP) system to improve business competitiveness and commercialization of intellectual property assets, and to make a positive impact on Iran’s economic development.
IRSIP provides consultations and technical assistance in specific IP fields where support is requested by the Iranian project partners and where Switzerland is able to offer strong expertise to achieve a tangible impact. Within these thematic areas, the activities mainly consist of technical capacity building by national and international consultants through trainings, workshops, experience sharing between Swiss and Iranian peers, education programs, and expert inputs.
The project provides support at the policy level to IP-related government agencies in order to establish or improve the legal and institutional IP framework. Moreover, it aims to raise awareness on IP for its users and to strengthen the capacity of authorities in providing services to Iranian IP users. Furthermore, IRSIP aims to provide assistance to the national system of geographical indications (GI) by supporting two Iranian products with registered GIs. This support is expected to demonstrate the economic value, business competitiveness, and sustainability of these GIs.