DDG Hill opens 2025 workshop on incentives for technology transfer to LDCs

Technology transfer is deeply embedded in the TRIPS Agreement and is explicitly mentioned in its objectives in Article 7. In Article 66.2, the TRIPS Agreement specifically obliges developed country members to provide incentives to enterprises and institutions in their territories to promote and encourage technology transfer to LDC members. The aim is to enable LDCs to create a sound and viable technological base.

Since 2003, when WTO members agreed on the transparency mechanism for technology transfer under Article 66.2, developed country members have submitted over 400 reports detailing their actions and commitments. To date, the TRIPS Council has conducted 21 reviews of these reports, generating valuable insights into effective technology transfer strategies and best practices.

Speaking at the opening session, DDG Hill provided a forward-looking perspective, stating that "the future of trade - digital, green, and services-driven - will have technology at its core." She noted that trade has played a key role in LDC development, and that further efforts are needed in sectors such as agriculture and digital technologies. She emphasized that "technology transfer empowers LDCs to build production capacities; it fosters innovation and drives sustainable development". This underscores the need to promote and encourage technology transfer in key sectors, she added.

Ms Ivanov-Durand, Chair-Designate of the TRIPS Council, highlighted the critical role of technology in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly for LDCs. She reiterated that Article 66.2 formally recognizes the link between access to technology and development, situating technology transfer incentives within the broader context of LDCs' need to establish a robust technological base.

She also noted the connection between this workshop and the upcoming meeting of the Council for TRIPS on 20-21 March 2025. At this meeting, a follow-up to the annual review of reports from nine developed members on their technology transfer commitments and related programmes will take place. She encouraged LDC members to share insights from the workshop during the Council’s deliberations later in the week.

Ms Kadra Ahmed Hassan, on behalf of the LDC Group, thanked the WTO Secretariat for organizing the workshop and developed countries for their detailed reports submitted in 2024. She encouraged their active participation in the workshop and underscored the importance of informal dialogue between LDC members and developed country members. It is particularly important to tailor technology transfer programmes to LDCs' priority needs and learn from developed members’ experience, she added.

She reiterated the LDC Group's long-standing interest in this mechanism. She also noted that the workshop "provides an opportunity to promote dialogue and coordination between LDC members and developed-country members at the level of the Council’s deliberations."

The three-day workshop will conclude with an opportunity for participants to attend the formal meeting of the Council for TRIPS on 20 March 2025. See the programme here.

All reports by developed members on their Article 66.2 related programmes are available here.

More information on TRIPS and Technology Transfer.