Among the delegates that stood up and introduced themselves on 24 November 2025, the first day of a two-week long WIPO Summer School that is organised and hosted by MUT, was a man from north-eastern Europe. This was a License Manager, Damjan Grozdanovski, from Belgium’s University of Antwerp, in the north-west of that country. Grozdanovski, a PhD student, gave his reasons for attending the event. “I decided to take part in the WIPO Summer School because I want to be up to date with the global best practices in technology transfer and IP (intellectual property) protection. The programme offers discussions with various actors in the innovation ecosystem from around the globe, and I think this is crucial for improvement,” Grozdanovski said.
Grozdanovski was certain that he would broaden his knowledge and gain new insights regarding the innovative ecosystem. “I am unaware of the African approach to innovation, and I would like to learn more in order to compare it with the European approach,” he said. The programme game Grozdanovski assurance that he would learn more about bridging the gap between academia and industry, as well as about the investment life cycles, research funding and licensing of IP. “I am very curious about the African model of technology transfer,” he said.
The enthusiastic athlete said technology transfer is like contact sport, “therefore I see networking as an essential part of my job. As a licensing professional, interdisciplinarity is very important for me, and I would like to meet professionals with technical expertise and policy makers,” he said pointing out that the programme offers a lot of opportunities for networking, “and I am making full use of them.”
Grozdanovski also wanted to experience the rich South African culture. “I was to appreciate the cultural aspects of the programme, to learning more about all aspects of life in South Africa. I am certain that this Summer School will enrich me both personally and professionally.”