CarIPI’s Annual Work Plan Endorsed at the First Sub-PSC meeting of the Second Phase of the Project
The Sub-Project Steering Committee (Sub-PSC) of the CarIPI project held its inaugural meeting on 25 September 2025. High-level representatives from the Intellectual Property Offices of CARIFORUM countries, the European Commission, and the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) met virtually to strengthen their collaboration in the field of intellectual property (IP) for the coming years.
During the meeting, participants discussed and endorsed the First Annual Work Plan (AWP1), set to run for six months and is divided in four work packages.
As part of Work Package 1, the first annual work plan will focus on promoting Legal and Treaty Modernisation. Many CARIFORUM countries still operated under outdated laws, and only few are members of the main international IP treaties. In its first phase, CarIPI supported countries like Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago embrace the Madrid Protocol, and countries like Suriname and Saint Kitts and Nevis to draft their design legislation (both expected to be enacted by the end of this year). In phase II, a growing number of nations are willing to modernise its IP legislations and are knocking at the doors of treaties like the Madrid Protocol, the Hague- and the Lisbon Agreement.
Activities aimed at Institutional Strengthening and Digitalisation (Work Package 2), will build on the foundations of previous work plans and will continue focussing on capacity building and digital transformation of IP offices, including public access to online IP registries. A priority for CarIPI is the full integration of CARIFORUM IPOs’ data into TMview.
As part of Work Package 3, CarIPI II will foster inclusive participation in intellectual property by empowering women and young innovators with the knowledge and tools needed to protect and commercialise their ideas, thereby promoting greater equity and dynamism within the region’s innovation-driven economy. This will include education-focused initiatives, such as the highly successful webinar from the previous phase, “Inspiring Indigenous Women Entrepreneurs”, designed to give participants a basic understanding of how they can build sustainable business models using their traditional knowledge, cultural expressions, and genetic resources – the foundations of their products and services.
Under Work Package 4 – Private ‘Sector and Market Access – the CarIPI project will retain its focus on private sector initiatives in particular through the relaunch of the mentorship programme, helping producers boost their origin linked products. In its first chapter, the CarIPI Mentorship Programme empowered 20 local producer groups, helping transform cultural icons like Trinidad and Tobago’s steelpan and Saint Lucia’s rum into registered Geographical Indications.
The proposed Annual work plan of CarIPI II will cover the period from 1st October 2025 to 31st March 2026 and aims to advance the project's objectives. It includes 7 activities implemented across 16 countries and jurisdictions.
The CARIFORUM Intellectual Property Rights and Innovation Project (CarIPI II) is a regional initiative financed by the European Union (EU) under the Development Cooperation Instrument (DCI) and it is being implemented by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO). The project officially commenced on 1 April 2025 and is scheduled to run for a total duration of 48 months, including a 6-month inception phase. The total budget for the project is €3.57 million, with a 30 % contribution from the EUIPO.