Meeting of Minds: New Program Attracts Talented Law Students

An innovative program is bringing law students to work on intellectual property issues at CGIAR Centers. Led by the Central Advisory Service on Intellectual Property (CAS-IP), the program is off to an excellent start. Five students enrolled in the LLM program of St. Edmund’s College, University of Cambridge, have completed internships at CIAT, CIFOR, CIP, IPGRI and the World Agroforestry Centre.

“We are keen to attract top notch talent to work on the tough issues of intellectual property rights,” said Victoria Henson-Apollonio, Head, CAS-IP. “The interns bring fresh perspectives that are proving valuable for the CGIAR’s mission of mobilizing science within a public goods framework.”

Interns usually spend the first week at the CAS-IP office which has a home at IPGRI, followed by an extended stay at a CGIAR Center of their choice. Work products include revisions and drafting of policy statements on intellectual property, reviewing contracts and implementation guides on IP policy, and drafting data-sharing agreements. The program is expected to expand, ultimately placing a maximum of three interns at each Center.

left to right: Darryl Martin (ICRAF 2005 intern), Kay Chapman (CAS program assistant), Nina Lyons (CAS/IPGRI 2005 intern), and Sue Anne Teo (CIP 2005 intern).