Inclusion of the academic community in discussions about intellectual property is crucial for innovation and the progress of BiH towards the European Union
Mostar, February 28, 2024 - Seminars entitled "Intellectual property at the University" were held during the month of February at the universities in Banja Luka and East Sarajevo, as part of the project "EU support for intellectual property rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina", which is financed by the European Union, with the aim of professional development and improvement of intellectual property in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
"The inclusion of the academic community in discussions about intellectual property is of vital importance for Bosnia and Herzegovina on its way to the EU. The academic community in BiH plays a key role in creating innovation and research, and contributes to the country's intellectual and cultural capital. Their inclusion in the harmonization of intellectual property regulations with EU standards not only ensures compliance with European norms, but also takes into account the unique socio-economic and cultural context of BiH. Therefore, it is necessary for the academic community to be actively involved in these discussions to foster an environment that supports innovation, cultural enrichment and economic progress in the country," the Project announced.
"The European Union is financing this project in order to provide support to Bosnia and Herzegovina in harmonizing legislation with the European acquis, improving the competitiveness and innovation of the economy in BiH, by providing the necessary expertise and support to the Institute for Intellectual Property and creative industries in BiH," said the Project team leader Miodrag Marković.
According to him, the development of every modern society rests on the encouragement of intellectual property, and dedication to intellectual work, science and innovation must be institutionally supported. "It is necessary to recognize the invaluable contribution of innovators and researchers in all spheres, especially at universities, who do their work with perseverance and intellectual honesty in order to create new and better products and services, protect their intellectual property and preserve academic integrity", said Marković and emphasized that these seminars are another important step on the way to understanding and respecting the protection of intellectual property rights.
Center for Development and Research Support at the University of Banja Luka carries out activities that contribute to raising awareness of intellectual property protection. "When it comes to intellectual property at the University of Banja Luka, i.e. the activities carried out in this field by the Center for Development and Research Support, in the earlier period we focused on patenting and copyright protection, and the topic of this seminar was the protection of computer programs and the process of patenting computer-implemented inventions, which is very important for all our teachers and associates", said senior expert associate for development and entrepreneurship Predrag Govedarica, who is also in charge of intellectual property affairs at the University.
On this occasion, the Rectorate of the University of East Sarajevo stated that the University of East Sarajevo is dedicated to the mission of protecting intellectual property rights arising from the scientific research/artistic work of their teachers and collaborators, i.e. creators of intellectual creations, and concluded that creativity and innovation are drivers of development and progress of every society and therefore they should be protected and encouraged.
