The Director of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Academy, Mr. Hongbing Chen, visited Kutaisi International University (KIU) together with Mr. Soso Giorgadze, Chairman of the National Intellectual Property Center of Georgia (Sakpatenti).
The delegation was received by KIU Executive Director/Rector, Mr. Vakhtang Tsagareli. The discussion focused on the progress of the Master’s programme “Intellectual Property, Innovation and Entrepreneurship," which is the only international Master’s programme of its kind in the region. Various plans were discussed for expanding cooperation between WIPO and KIU.
As part of the visit, the Director of the WIPO Academy met with the first cohort of graduates and the students enrolled in the program this year. Mr Chen discussed with them the teaching approaches used in the program as well as the employment prospects for students in Georgia and internationally. KIU and WIPO emphasized the unique nature of the program and the significance of continued collaboration.
The programme, initiated and funded by WIPO, is delivered by professors from the world’s leading universities together with KIU’s academic staff. The visiting professors include Professor Enrico Bonadio of City St George’s, University of London, in the United Kingdom; Professor Alessandro Cogo of the University of Turin; Professors Dominique Foray and Gaétan de Rassexenfosse of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL); and Professor Diogo Costa Cunha of the Centre for International Intellectual Property Studies (CEIPI) at the University of Strasbourg, who is currently visiting Kutaisi with the WIPO delegation.
The Master’s programme was introduced at KIU under a memorandum signed in 2025 between WIPO, Kutaisi International University, and Sakpatenti. In 2025, the University admitted the first cohort of students to the program, and this year, 27 students have enrolled: 19 Georgian citizens and eight international students. WIPO will fully cover tuitionfees and living expenses for five international students. Graduates of the program receive a Master's degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Intellectual Property and Innovation Management.
The meeting was attended by KIU Chancellor, Dr. Levan Kopaliani, members of the University’s administrative and academic staff, and Sakpatenti and WIPO delegations. Following the visit, the guests toured the university's ultramodern campus.
