WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  IP/C/W/497/Add.6 
3 December 2007 
 
 (07-5308) 
Council for Trade-Related Aspects 
of Intellectual Property Rights Original:   English 
 
 
 
REPORT ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF ARTICLE 66.2 
OF THE TRIPS AGREEMENT 
 
CANADA 
 
Addendum  
  
 The following communication, dated 19 Octobe r 2007, from the Delegation of Canada is 
being circulated pursuant to paragraph 1 of the Decision on Implementation of Article 66.2 of the 
TRIPS Agreement.  It was circulated as an advance copy for the TRIPS Council meeting in 
October 2007.  
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I. INTRODUCTION 
1. Article 66.2 of the TRIPS Agreement requir es "developed country Members to provide 
incentives to enterprises and ins titutions in their territories for the purpose of promoting and 
encouraging technology transfer to least developed c ountry Members in order to enable them to create 
a sound and viable technological base."  The presen t note provides information on Canada's activities 
concerning technology transfer to least developed countries (LDCs). 
2. In general, Canada provides domestic incentives for the transfer of technology in the form of 
(i) intellectual property embedded in transferred goods and services;  (ii) management and business 
know-how to support production and distribution of goods and services;  and (iii) human 
capacity-building.  Several Canadian Governme nt departments, agencies and programmes are 
involved in providing incentives, either directly or indirectly, for Canadian enterprises and institutions 
to engage in activities involving technology tran sfer to developing country Members and LDCs. 
3. The Canadian agencies principally involved in technology transfer activities are the Canadian 
International Development Agency (CIDA) and the International Development Research Centre 
(IDRC).  A number of other government department s, agencies and programmes such as Industry 
Canada, Health Canada, the National Research C ouncil (NRC), as well as volunteer programmes, also 
contribute significantly to providing incentives for technology transfer.  The present document describes ongoing activities. 
II. CANADIAN INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AGENCY (CIDA) 
4. CIDA is the lead organization responsible fo r Canada's Official Development Assistance 
(ODA) Programme.  CIDA's work focuses on five  key sectors: good governance, health, basic 
education, private sector development, and enviro nmental sustainability (gender equity is a cross-
cutting issue).  Technology transfer occurs through  several programmes, which are presented below. IP/C/W/497/Add.6 
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  5. The Private Sector Directorat e (PSDi) in CIDA's Canadian Partnership Branch supports 
initiatives from both Canadian and overseas private sector  firms and organizations that help build the 
local private sector in developing and transiti on countries through investment, improving local 
infrastructure through professional services, acc ess to new markets and capacity building and 
institutional strengthening of local private sector or ganizations.  The investment mechanism of PSDi's 
Industrial Cooperation Program (CID A-INC) supports Canadian private sector firms that seek to 
invest in, and establish a long-term business relations hip with, a local partner to produce goods or 
services.  Its professional services mechanism supports  consulting firms seeking to participate in 
infrastructure projects to enhance positive devel opmental impacts in the host country.  Eligible 
initiatives involve technology transfer and traini ng in order to strengthen skills, expertise and 
knowledge of local managers and employees in de veloping countries.  As this is a responsive 
mechanism, the benefiting countries depend on bus iness development between Canadian companies 
and local partners.   
6. CIDA-INC promotes trade and investment at the conjunction of supply and demand-driven 
development needs.  By way of example, one of the projects supported by CIDA-INC assisted a 
Canadian company in establishing a landfill methane capture plant - the first of its kind in demonstrating carbon finance in El Salvador.  PSDi also continues to support a number of Canadian 
private sector institutions that mobilize sector-spe cific expertise through knowledge and technology 
transfer activities to build the capacity of mana gement in the private sector or private sector 
institutions in developing and transition countries.   For example, the Telecommunications Executive 
Management Institute of Cana da (TEMIC) develops the capacity of senior and middle level 
executives of public and private corporations workin g in the telecommunications and the information 
and communication technology (ICT) sectors of developing and emerging economies. 
7. In addition to the above programming that is directly linked to the private sector of 
developing countries, CIDA's Canadian Partners hip Branch also supports programming involving 
education institutions and youth.  The Univers ity Partnerships in C ooperation and Development 
Programme and the Canadian College Partners hip Programme support pa rtnerships involving, 
respectively, universities and colleges with their co unterparts in developing countries to facilitate 
human resource development.  These partnerships often involve technology transfer as part of a 
broader capacity development effort.  For exampl e, the Marine Institute from Newfoundland works 
with the National Institute for the Development of Small Scale Fisheries (IDPPE) in Mozambique to 
improve fish handling and processing, as a means of  increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of 
businesses in the small scale fisheries and processing sector. 
8. CIDA's International Youth Internship Progra mme (IYIP) gives young Canadian graduates an 
opportunity to contribute to grass roots cooperation in developing countries and LDCs.  Sectors that 
benefit include communications, environment, health , industry, natural resources and water/sanitation.  
Among the projects where IYIP interns have particip ated are:  (a) waste management and landscape 
enhancement at a remote field station site in Guyana, South America;  (b) valuing the ecosystem 
services provided by great apes and their habitat in Ke nya;  (c) transfer of BioSand Water Filter (BSF) 
technology project, also in Kenya;  (d) technical and administrative support for the South African 
Natural Futures Programme;  and (e) a sustainabl e water resources management project in Uruguay. 
9. CIDA supports research and technology transfer in some of its projects in LDCs through its 
bilateral programming. 
10. For example, in 2006-2007 CIDA continued providing support for the development of 
Biosciences in eastern and central Africa through th e Canada Fund for Africa.  The goal is to support 
eastern and central African countries in developing and applying bioscience research expertise to 
produce technologies that help resource-poor farmers to secure their assets, improve their productivity and income, and increase their market opportuniti es.  The project includes a capacity building  IP/C/W/497/Add.6 
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  component, with a focus on women and youth scientists, and a competitive grants process aimed at 
improving the quality and leadership of African research. 
11. In 2006-2007 CIDA also provided funding for an ongoing project in Northern Ethiopia to 
increase water harvesting and the use of water for food production through strengthening the technical 
and management expertise of the Tigray Wate r Resources Development Bureau (TWRDB) and 
Ethiopian Bureau of Agriculture (BOA). A mentori ng programme has been designed to use Canadian 
engineering and agronomy experts to build the cap acity of TWRDB and BOA staff so that these two 
government agencies will be capable of moving th e region towards food self-sufficiency through new 
irrigation infrastructure development, improved i rrigated agricultural prac tices and better soil and 
water management.  This project, which will concl ude by the end of 2007, is  managed by Canada's 
Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration, which has experience in water scarcity issues in Western 
Canada. CIDA also provided funding for a similar project in the national regional state of Amhara in 
Ethopia (Water Harvesting and Institutional Strengt hening in Amhara) implemented by a consortium 
of Canadian organizations led by Hydrosult Inc.  Th e goal of the project is to increase the capacity of 
the Amhara regional government institutions and fa rmer associations to develop and promote the 
sustainable use of water for irrigation and improved agricultural production. 
12. Finally, CIDA supports multilateral programmi ng involving technology transfer.  One 
example is the Global Gas Flaring Reduction partners hip, a public-private partnership housed at the 
World Bank, which assists governments and compani es in their efforts to reduce the amount of gas 
flared or vented around the world.  CIDA particip ation in the partnership involved collaboration with 
the Alberta Energy and Utilities Board.  CIDA h as provided Can$1.4 million to the initiative since 
joining in 2004. 
III. INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH CENTRE (IDRC) 
13. IDRC is a Canadian public corporation mandate d to initiate, encourage, support and conduct 
research into the problems of deve loping regions of the world and th e means of applying and adapting 
scientific, technical and other knowledge to the ec onomic and social advanc ement of those regions. 
IDRC has been promoting technologies for managing and sharing technology for the past 35 years 
through funding partnerships with other donors, including those from the private sector.   
14. IDRC's policy is to promote the creation and retention of knowledge and technology in the 
developing countries in which it works.  The vast majo rity of IDRC's recipients of research funding 
are in the developing world; the funding recipients retain copyright to the product of their work funded by IDRC.  IDRC also promotes the dissemina tion of research results to other communities in 
the developing world by retaining some dissemina tion rights and by encouraging wide dissemination 
by the recipients.  IDRC enters into numerous ag reements for the development of software in the 
developing world on an open source basis.   
15. IDRC has a long-standing commitment to advanc ing the role of information transfer in 
development.  A tradition of innovation that be gan with an emphasis on building databases and 
information systems has evolved into a focus on  the transformative nature of information and 
communication technologies (ICTs).  IDRC was one of the first development agencies to embrace 
ICTs as a key means fostering development an d alleviating poverty, and its Information and 
Communication Technologies for Developmen t Programme Area supports a number of 
complementary initiatives.  First, there is Bellanet,  an international initiative designed to facilitate 
inter-agency collaboration by using ICTs more ef fectively; this includes the African Networking 
Initiative and the African Information Society Initiati ve.  Second, the IDRC continues to sponsor the 
major undertaking of the Communities and ICTs fo r Africa (Acacia) programme with a view to 
empowering African communities with an ability to apply ICTs to their own social and economic 
development.  The IDRC's Pan Americas Networking initiative has also helped LDCs such as Haiti in IP/C/W/497/Add.6 
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  developing capacity for Internet use. IDRC's Pan Asia Networking initiative has focussed on LDCs 
such as Viet Nam, Lao PDR, Sri Lanka and Ne pal.  In these countries, IDRC assisted in the 
elaboration of a participatory process for formulati ng the country's information technologies policy.  
IDRC also assisted in the implementation of the participatory process and the country's information 
technologies policy.  IDRC is funding research pr ojects to support developing countries to better 
understand the implications of inte llectual property rules which have an important impact on access to 
digital content.  These countries can then develop policies that foster access to information and 
knowledge. 
16. Through its Innovation Policy and Science (IPS) programme area, IDRC has supported 
research as a means of establishing legislative,  policy or regulatory frameworks to promote and 
encourage transfer of technology to LDSs.  Th is is an ongoing theme under IDRC's new Innovation, 
Technology & Society programme within IPS.  For example, in 2006-2007 IDRC provided support to 
the following projects which touch on this theme: 
 (a) Capability, Governance, and Nanotechnology:  A Focus on India:   
Nanotechnology is the study and manipulatio n of matter on an ultra-small scale, 
generally in the range of 1-100 nanometres (1 metre = 1 billion nanometres).  Like 
biotechnology, nanotechnology has the potentia l to bring huge benefits to the poor, 
but also huge costs.  Focusing on India, this project will examine the capabilities needed by developing country policymakers, industry and civil society to engage in the debate on and respond to the challenges of nanotechnology.  The project will:  (a) 
help policy-makers, industry, and civil so ciety in developing countries to be better 
positioned to avail themselves of the op timal benefits of nanotechnology by 
increasing the knowledge base available to po licy-makers and others involved with 
nanotechnology developments;  (b) ach ieve a better understanding of the 
opportunities and risks that nanotechnology pr esents to India and other developing 
countries;  (c) assess the key determinants of  capability to respond to NT challenges;  
(d) provide a platform to share information on nanotechnology science and policy 
issues and create a dialogue between scien tists, development professionals, industry, 
and policy makers in India to address environmental, social and economic impacts of this technology so as to understand the risks and opportunities it presents;  (f) 
contribute to a multi level governance framework;  and (e) contribute to shaping a responsive policy framework given that  the technology is still evolving. 
 
 (b) Internationalization of Research Across Borders:  The Changing Role of 
Universities in the South:  A Global Call for Proposals :  If universities in the 
South are to contribute to development, they must transform themselves into 
developmental universities.  To achieve  th is other partners such as industry and 
government will need to take on greater responsibility. No ready-made models for 
guiding these changes exist at present.  They will require both creativity and a willingness to engage in thoughtful dialogue both within and outside the university.  
This grant will support a research comp etition aimed at better understanding the 
changing role of universities in the South.  The overall objective of the competition is 
to develop an ongoing ''knowledge network'' that can advance collective 
understanding of the ''Changing Role of Univer sities in the South''.  To build enduring 
partnerships, grantees will interact with  each other and UniDev throughout the 
research process.  A final workshop will discuss research findings and next steps.  The research competition includes three different competitions and is open to 
researchers and research institutions  throughout the developing world. 
  IP/C/W/497/Add.6 
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  (c) Workshop to Build Capacity for Bio- based products in Sub-Saharan Africa:   In 
partnership with McGill University a nd the Kigali Institute of Science and 
Technology, this grant supported a work shop in Kigali, Rwanda to assess the 
capacity-building needs, gaps, and prioriti es and how these can be addressed in order 
to build strong bio-based economies in the east African region.   The objectives to the 
workshop are to:  (a) create a multi-stakehol der, multidisciplinary forum to exchange 
views on capacity-building issues related to development of bio-based products;  (b) 
develop a multi-stakeholder approach in the identification of needs and priorities in the development of bio-based products;  (c ) identify existing gaps in capacities and 
technologies;  (d) identify technology transfer and intellectual property capacity-
building needs to support bio-products de velopment;  (e) examine the role and 
importance of communication and information in the development of bio-products in 
the African environment;  (f) extrapolate fu ture scenarios if no action on gaps, needs 
and priorities is taken;  (g) explore/id entify local and international opportunities on 
the basis of South-South and North-South partnerships;  and (h) identify common 
interests for an action plan to address the identified gaps, constraints, needs and 
priorities in capacity-building. 
17. Through its Environment and Natural Res ource Management (ENRM) Programme Area 
IDRC supports research that focuses on the sustai nable use and management of environment and 
natural resources, stressing the involvement of lo cal communities, with a view to enhance food and 
water security, human health and livelihoods, and bridging the gap between community-based 
resource management and policy-making.  Key objectives include: 
(a) Improving the governance of common pool resources to reduce vulnerability, 
enhance assets, and legitimize the rights of a ll, particularly the rural poor, to essential 
natural resources; 
(b) Understanding the social and ecological cont ext of human health and well-being and 
building a community of practice in this field; 
(c) Reducing environmental burdens on the urban poor and enhancing the use of natural 
resources for food, water, and income security; and 
(d) Building capacities on environmental policy analysis. 
18. A strategic component of the programme is to strengthen the linkages between research, 
policy and its implementation to ensure that c oncrete results generated at various scales by 
programme activities are translated into action by m unicipal, national and inte rnational authorities and 
other stakeholders involved in sustainable developm ent.  To this aim, pr ojects may integrate aspects 
of technology transfer. 
19. For example, IDRC and other institutions have  supported research on the use of greywater to 
combat water scarcity and food insecurity by helping the poor harvest water at the household level.  
The treatment and use of greywater is not limited to new techniques, but is also an activity has a long 
history in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.  IDRC has supported at least five projects on greywater since 1998.  In 2006-07, IDRC built on this early work by providing support to 
the following projects: 
(a) Greywater Video for World Urban Forum (WUF) :  The grant for the development 
of a video allowed the Middle East Cent re for the Transfer of Appropriate 
Technology (MECTAT) in collaboration with WADIMENA (Water Demand 
Initiative for the Middle East and North Afri ca) to make a 20-minute documentary to IP/C/W/497/Add.6 
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  display the experience gained in the grey water (GW) treatment and reuse in the 
Middle East.  The video illustrated the impact on the beneficiaries, experts, technicians and all people involved, directly and indirectly, through three research projects on greywater in Jordan, Lebanon and Palestine that IDRC had sponsored 
since 1998.  The video was presented at the World Urban Forum (WUF) in 2006.  
The original three projects tested a system  for greywater treatment and use in home 
gardens in a cluster of towns of Jordan, Le banon and Palestine, with the aim to help 
the peri-urban poor in these towns preser ve precious fresh water, achieve food 
security, and generate income, while helping to protect the environment. 
(b) Greywater Use in the Middle East a nd North Africa :  Expert Meeting :  The 
Center for the Study of the Built Environment (CSBE) has reviewed local 
technologies and found that farmers, faced w ith water scarcity, often use very simple 
but effective methods to harvest greywater fo r use in irrigating trees and plants near 
their homes.  Although IDRC and other ins titutions have supported research on the 
use of greywater to combat water scarcity, there has been no concerted effort to 
coordinate research and action on greywater.   This grant supported the first expert 
meeting on greywater use to highlight curre nt efforts and chart the way forward.  
Selected papers from the conference will be published in a monograph.  
IV. INDUSTRY CANADA 
20. Industry Canada sponsors several programmes for the transfer of technology by Canadian 
institutions and enterprises to LDCs.  In the field of telecommunications, Indu stry Canada promotes 
global interconnectivity and inter- operability of broadband networks, applications and services (e.g. 
telehealth and telelearning).  This work aims to  improve the domestic and international investment 
climate in order to create incentives to global markets, including developing country Members and LDCs, by spurring companies to make their produc ts and services export-ready.  It also supports 
international collaboration for Canadian research institutions in emerging areas such as electronic 
commerce, genomics, environmental technologies and advanced engineering. 
21. In addition, Industry Canada plays a leading role in the advancement of the Connectivity 
Agenda for the Americas through the Summ it of the Americas process and the Inter -American 
Telecommunications Commission (CITEL) work pr ogramme and continues to promote global 
connectivity through its work at the Inte rnational Telecommunication Union (ITU).  
22. Industry Canada is also particularly active in the technology transfer area.  It has organized 
seminars and workshops on ICT policy and regula tory issues for LDCs, hosted incoming study 
missions, and fostered discussion on viable pro-comp etitive regulatory options through its work in the 
Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Telecommunica tions and Information Working Group.   
23. Another Industry Canada’s involve ment in technology transfer is in the technical integrity and 
quality of the engineering planning, which is the basis for the orderly regulations, management and 
exploitation of the radio frequency spectrum.  Thus , Industry Canada is responsible for the technical 
and strategic planning which underpin s Canadian telecommunication regulations, testing, certification 
and accreditation procedures.  It is also responsible for international negotiations, treaties, agreements 
and arrangements associated with its spectrum management obligations. Industry Canada is 
specifically involved in technology transfer ac tivities through providing training to foreign 
governments of developing and least-developed countr ies (LDC).  Its goal is to promote Canadian 
spectrum management technologies and know-how through technology transfer activities through 
Canadian private-sector partners.  In addition, In dustry Canada is leading negotiations of Mutual 
Recognition Agreements (MRAs) on telecommunication equipment.  IP/C/W/497/Add.6 
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  V. NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL (NRC)  
24. The National Research Council's Industrial Research Assistance Programme (IRAP) 
encourages and supports Canadian small and me dium-sized entities to develop international 
technology-based partnerships with both deve loped and less developed economies.  IRAP, in 
partnership with Canada's Depart ment of Foreign Affairs and Inte rnational Trade, supports group 
missions to explore opportunities for partnerships.  IRAP also carries out activities independently and 
with other partners.  In addition to group missions , IRAP is involved with individual companies, 
sectors and competitive technical intelligence.  IR AP and NRC as a whole have been active in 
developing technology-based partners hips in the Asian-Pacific region, in part through the Industrial 
S&T Working Group of APEC. 
VI. VOLUNTEER PROGRAMMES  
25. NetCorps is a programme funded by CIDA wh ich provides internships for young Canadians 
to work abroad in the area of  Information and communication technologies (ICTs).  The programme 
focuses on showcasing the information technology expertise of young Canadians abroad and 
establishing partnerships with local private, public  or non profit entities in locally tailored human 
capacity building and infrastructure building projects in fields such as governance, education, health, 
gender equality and environmental su stainability.  NetCorps is f unded through the Human Resources 
and Skills Development Canada's Youth Employment St rategy.  It is managed by the International 
Youth Programme of CIDA’s Youth Action in pa rtnership with NetCor ps' Consortium of the 
following nine Canadian volunteer-sending organiza tions:  Alternatives, Canada World Youth, 
Canadian Crossroads International (CCI), the Ca nadian Society for International Health (CSIH), 
CUSO, Human Rights Internet (HRI), Internationa l Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), 
Oxfam Québec (lead agency) and Volunteer Serv ices Overseas Canada (VSO Canada).  The 
NetCorps initiative benefits host organizations in eligible ODA c ountries in Africa, the Americas, 
Asia and Eastern Europe. 
VII MULTILATERAL ACTIVITIES 
26. At the multilateral level, Canada continues to  actively contribute to many international 
institutions which, in turn, provide incentives for technology transfer to developing country Members 
and LDCs.  In this respect, Canada's continuing contribution to the WTO's technical assistance fund, 
the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Ba nk, the African Development Bank and the Asia 
Development Bank all help to encourage the transf er of technology. Canada also supports sector-
specific programming notably through the Consultati ve Group on International Agricultural Research 
(CGIAR), and the World Bank’s Energy Sector Management Assistance Programme (ESMAP). 
27. Canada participates in the WTO Working Group on Trade and Transfer of Technology 
(WGTTT), established in 2002 as part of the Doha Development Round.  Cana da supports the efforts 
of the Working Group to help WTO Members identify ways to increase the transfer and absorption of 
technology through trade, investment and th e provision of technical assistance.   
 
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