A S U

The Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center at Ain Shams University organized a workshop titled “Intellectual Property and Access to Medicines,” held under the patronage of Prof. Mohamed Diaa Zain El-Abedeen, President of the University; Prof. Amany Osama Kamel, Vice President for Graduate Studies and Research; and Prof. Neven Assem, Executive Director of the Innovation and Training Sector.
The event was supervised and implemented by Dr. Mohamed Magdy, Director of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center.

This workshop comes as part of the University’s pioneering role in supporting the innovative ecosystem and applied scientific research, as well as its commitment to promoting awareness of the importance of intellectual property protection and its role in ensuring access to medicines. It also aligns with the National Intellectual Property Strategy and Egypt’s Vision 2030.

The workshop hosted Dr. Eman Saleh, Acting Facilitator of the Central Administration for Intellectual Property Operations at the Egyptian Intellectual Property Authority; Dr. Heba Wanees, Public Health and Pharmaceutical Policy Researcher at the Third World Network; Researcher Gopakumar, Legal Advisor at the Third World Network; Dr. Sally Ouda, Senior Patent Examiner at the Egyptian Intellectual Property Authority; and Dr. Rasha Gamal, Acting Facilitator of the General Administration for Patents at the Egyptian Intellectual Property Authority.

In her remarks, Prof. Amany Osama emphasized the significance of the workshop, noting that the progress and prosperity of any nation are measured by its ability to innovate and protect ideas and initiatives. She highlighted that the main objective of the workshop is to raise awareness of the importance of safeguarding innovations and reinforcing the culture of intellectual property within the academic and research community. She also stressed the need for innovation and intellectual property unit coordinators across the university’s faculties to attend the workshop and share the knowledge and experience gained with their colleagues, in line with the University’s efforts to protect ideas and research outputs.

Dr. Mohamed Magdy affirmed that innovation cannot thrive without clear mechanisms for intellectual property protection. He noted that having a responsible body to safeguard ideas and inventions is essential for enhancing creativity and enabling innovations and projects to emerge on a wider scale.

Dr. Iman Saleh explained that intellectual property is a fundamental element closely linked to creativity, innovation, business, and research activities. She added that the essence of intellectual property lies in ensuring that research outputs hold genuine value and serve the community. She emphasized that the workshop should support the pharmaceutical industry, research activities, and access-related issues, while encouraging researchers to develop and innovate medicines that remain available and accessible in adequate quantities and at reasonable prices—without compromising the right of all individuals to obtain them.

Researcher Gopakumar expressed his pleasure in the collaboration between Ain Shams University and the Intellectual Property Authority, noting that innovation can come from any place and any community. He stressed that what matters most is making innovations accessible to the societies that need them.

Dr. Heba Wanees thanked the University leadership for the initiative and for hosting this two-day workshop, as well as for its cooperation with the Egyptian Intellectual Property Authority, which plays a vital role in examining patents, particularly pharmaceutical patents. She explained that the workshop discusses intellectual property rights, their various domains, and their connection to public health from a developmental perspective, including access to medicines.

The workshop also covered the Egyptian legislation that safeguards public health, explored intellectual property flexibilities and their use in supporting development issues, and highlighted the opportunities offered by the national system to support researchers through the services of the Patent Office.

Additionally, the workshop provided a detailed presentation on the requirements for obtaining a patent and the application process, along with an overview of patent examination procedures at the Egyptian Patent Office and the services it offers, as well as the steps inventors should follow before submitting a patent application.