PIPRA, the Public Intellectual Property Resource for Agriculture, is a nonprofit initiative based at the University of California, Davis, supports innovation in agriculture, health, water, and energy technologies. In collaboration with 50+ universities and research centers and a pro bono attorney network, we provide intellectual property rights and commercialization strategy services to increase the impact of innovation, particularly for developing countries and specialty markets.  But getting good technology to serve the needs of the people most constrained by economic circumstances  is notoriously difficult. From design to delivery, complex decisions affect whether the technology will be useful and adopted by target households, whether sustainability can be achieved, and ultimately whether the technology can have the greatest possible impact on poverty.

The goal of PIPRA is to make it easy for developing countries to access new technologies. PIPRA serves a number of purposes, the most important of which is helping public sector technologies to have an impact on the underserved populations of the world. We do this by decreasing intellectual property barriers, improving commercialization strategies, and increasing technology transfer. We also help public institutions more broadly by supporting them in getting their technological innovations to those who need it most.   PIPRA improves the ability of organizations around the world as they work in research, development, and delivery of technologies for the underserved populations.  PIPRA provides services to foundations, not-for-profit organizations, universities, international aid agencies, and governments – each with different needs, but all working toward the common goal of using technology to address global poverty.

PIPRA contributed to the Cocoa Genome Initiative by designing a portal to ensure broad public access to the genome data and to ensure that gene sequences would not be patented by database users.  The intention of this portal is to clearly articulate the philosophy of the Cocoa Genome Initiative which is to enable cocoa breeders with the most advance tools to improve cocoa productivity and the lives of cocoa farmers and not to enable exclusive ownership of the  valuable components of the cocoa genome.

More information about PIPRA can be found at www.pipra.org