WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  IP/C/W/519/Add.5 
23 October 2008 
 
 (08-5136) 
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 20 Oct ober 2008, 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.   
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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 and the National Research Council (NRC) , 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/519/Add.5 
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  5. The Private Sector Directorate (PSD) 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 in-trans ition countries through investment, improving local 
infrastructure, access to new ma rkets and capacity building and institutional strengthening of local 
private sector organizations.  The investment m echanism of the PSD Industrial Cooperation Program 
(CIDA-INC) supports Canadian private sector firm s that seek to invest and establish a long-term 
business relationship with a local partner to pro duce goods or services, while its professional services 
mechanism supports Canadian consulting firms seeki ng to participate in infrastructure projects to 
enhance positive developmental imp acts in the host country.  Eligible initiatives for both mechanisms 
involve technology transfer and training in order to  strengthen skills, expertise and knowledge of local 
managers and employees in developing and in-t ransition countries.  As these are responsive 
mechanisms, the selection of the host countries de pends on business 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, CIDA-IN C contributed to the implementation of a joint 
venture operation in the Philippines to provide in tegrated solutions to air emission problems for 
various local industries in order to comply with  new government regulations and improve working 
conditions and general envi ronment protection.  The PSD also supports a number of Canadian private 
sector institutions that mobilize sector-specific e xpertise through knowledge and technology transfer 
activities to build management capacity in the pub lic and private sectors of developing and in-
transition countries.  For example, the Teleco mmunications Executive Management Institute of 
Canada (TEMIC) develops the capacity of senior and middle level executives of public and private 
corporations working 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 (UPCD) and the Canadian College Part nership Programme (CCPP)  support partnerships 
involving, respectively, universities and colleges with  their counterparts in developing countries to 
facilitate human resource development.  These partne rships often involve technology transfer as part 
of a broader capacity development effort. For example, 
(a) the Marine Institute from Newfoundland work s with the National Institute for the 
Development of Small Scale Fisheries (IDPPE) in Mozambique to improve fish 
handling and processing, as a means of incr easing the efficiency and effectiveness of 
businesses in the small scale fisheries and processing sector; 
(b) the École Polytechnique de Montréal wo rks with the Institut de Recherche en 
Sciences Appliquées et Technologies (IRSAT)  and the Université de Ouagadougou to 
train local specialists to efficiently manage solar power systems designed to supply water to rural communities in Burkina Faso; and 
(c) the Bow Valley College in Calgary, Albe rta and the Institut de technologie 
agroalimentaire, in Saint-Hyacinthe, Qu ebec, work with the Collège Bullier in 
Cameroon to improve food processing training programs as a means of increasing 
revenues for families by transferring the n ecessary competencies and skills to them. 
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 environment, education, health , and the private sector.  Among the projects where 
IYIP interns have participated are:  (a) con servation of natural resources and market tendencies  IP/C/W/519/Add.5 
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  related to certified products in Bolivia;  (b) inco me generation activities for beneficiaries and rural 
communities in Honduras;  (c) transfer of BioSand Water Filter (BSF) technology project, in Kenya; (d) technical and administrative support training medical laboratory student s in Rwanda;  and (e) 
groundwater resource management and development in the north of Ghana. 
9. CIDA also supports research and technology transfer in some of its projects in LDCs through 
its bilateral programming. 
10. For example, CIDA continued providing sup port for the development of Biosciences in 
eastern and central Africa (BecA) through the Canada  Fund for Africa.  The project has two major 
priorities:  1) establish a centre of excellence in biosciences for agriculture, serving as a focal point for 
eastern and central African scientists to devel op the capacity to conduct advanced biosciences 
research programs on priority issues affecting Afri ca’s development; and 2) provide seed funding for 
the establishment of three other centres of excelle nce in the other NEPAD regions (North, South and 
West Africa).  BecA will support African countries  to develop and apply bioscience research and 
expertise to produce technologies that help resource-poor farmers, especially women and youth, secure their assets, improve their productivity and income and increase their market opportunities.  
11. In 2007-2008, CIDA also provided funding for an ongoing project in Northern Ethiopia to 
increase water harvesting and the use of water for food production through st rengthening the technical 
and management expertise of the Tigray Wate r Resources Development Bureau (TWRDB) and 
Ethiopian Bureau of Agriculture (BOA).  A mentor ing programme has been designed to use Canadian 
engineering and agronomy experts to build the capacity 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 practices and better soil and 
water management.  This project, which has been  extended to mid-2009, 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 pr oject in the national regional state of Amhara in 
Ethiopia (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 partne rship (GGFR), a public-private partnership housed 
at the World Bank, which assists governments and comp anies in their efforts to reduce the amount of 
gas flared or vented around the world.  CIDA participation in the partnership involves collaboration with the Energy Resources Conservation Board (ERCB), formerly the Alberta Energy and Utilities 
Board, which has served as a Steering Commit tee member since 2002. CIDA has provided 
Can$1.4 million to the initiative since joining in  2004.  The initiative remains ongoing;  CIDA has 
committed funds towards the GGFR through to June 2010. 
III. INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH CENTRE (IDRC) 
13. IDRC is a Canadian Crown 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 38 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 IP/C/W/519/Add.5 
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  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 of fostering development a nd alleviating poverty, and its Information and 
Communication Technologies for Development Progr am Area supports a number of complementary 
initiatives.  IDRC continues to sponsor the major undertaking of the Communities and ICTs for Africa 
(Acacia) program with a view to empowering Afri can communities with an ability to apply ICTs to 
their own social and economic development.   
16. IDRC, through its programming in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), has supported 
technology transfer, with a particular emphasis on e- government applications in the Caribbean.  It has 
also promoted the transfer of digital content and applications through some of its initiatives, such as 
the Latin American Network of National Educational Portals.  
17. By promoting public access to ICTs for poor co mmunities around the world, telecentre.org at 
IDRC makes e-health benefits available to margin alized populations and promotes and explores new, 
creative uses for ICTs in health based on th e needs and capacities of developing countries. 
18. IDRC has developed a research network exploring the best possible means to adopt e-health 
applications in Asia, through systematic research on the health outcomes associated to e-health 
interventions.  Moreover, IDRC is supporting the development of innovation and research and 
development in ICTs in Asia through a small gr ants program entitled Information Society Innovation 
Fund (ISIF). 
19. IDRC has supported research on science and tec hnology (S&T) and innovation policy issues 
since its creation.  The Innovation, Policy and Science (IPS) program area carries on this work, 
focusing on improving understanding of innovation processes and syst ems in developing countries, 
strengthening research in support of S&T polic ies, and enhancing social inclusion and multi-
stakeholder participation in decision-making related to S&T.  To carry on its work in supporting the 
development of science, technology and innovati on policies to alleviate poverty in developing 
countries, IPS funds research on governance, publ ic understanding, access and benefits associated 
with new technologies like biotechnology and nanot echnology.  IPS works through its Innovation, 
Technology, and Society (ITS)  program initiative towards a vision of science, technology and 
innovation contributing to just, equitable and sustai nable social and economic development in low- 
and middle-income countries.  IPS also serves as a platform within IDRC to ensure that Canadian 
research and science policy communities maintain international cooperati on and development as 
important priorities for Canada’s research efforts.   To carry on this task, IPS oversees strategic 
directions for the IDRC Research Partnerships  Challenge Fund, created to strengthen research 
partnerships between deve loping country scientists and Canadian researchers.
 
20. Through its Environment and Natural Resour ce Management (ENRM) Program Area, IDRC 
supports research that focuses on the sustainable u se and management of environment and natural 
resources, stressing the involvement of local communities, with a view to enhance food and water 
security, human health and livelihoods, and bri dging the gap between community-based resource 
management and policy-making.  Key objectives include:  IP/C/W/519/Add.5 
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  (a) improving the governance of common pool resources to reduce vulnerability, enhance 
assets, and legitimize the rights of all, par ticularly 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. 
21. A strategic component of the program is to strengthen the linkages between research, policy 
and its implementation to ensure that concrete resu lts generated at various scales by program activities 
are translated into action by municipal, national and international authorities and other stakeholders 
involved in sustainable development.  To this aim, projects may integrate aspects of technology transfer. 
22. The Climate Change Adaptation in Africa (CCAA) Research and Capacity Development 
Program is a joint program of IDRC and the United Kingdom’s Department for International 
Development (DfID).  This five-year multi-national pa rtnership was launched in May 2006.  It aims to 
improve the capacity of African countries to adapt to  climate change in ways that benefit the most 
vulnerable.  Building on existing initiatives a nd past experience, the CCAA program works to 
establish a self-sustained skilled body of expertise in Africa that will enhance the ability of African 
countries to adapt.  Below are examples of CCAA projects that are applying and adapting scientific, 
technical and other knowledge and/or contributing to  human capacity-building to enable adaptation to 
climate change in Africa: 
(a) Transferring the Malaria Epidemic Prediction Model to End Users in East 
Africa :  This project will train district hea lth care providers in Kenya, Tanzania and 
Uganda to use the prediction model deve loped by the Kenya Medical Research 
Institute in 2001 to anticipate and prepare for malaria outbreaks. 
(b) InfoClim :  Working in several villages in the re gion of Thiès (Senegal), this project 
is putting in place a climate change ob servatory, sensitizing local actors, and 
identifying and implementing adaptation strategies to improve the living conditions of vulnerable populations, or at least slow degradation. 
(c) Advancing Capacities to Support Climate Ch ange Adaptation through Five Pilot 
Projects (ACCCA) – UNITAR :  This project joins scientists and other actors 
working on climate change to strengthen th eir capacity to reduce the vulnerability of 
rural (Cameroon, Ethiopia and Kenya) and urban populations (South Africa and 
Burkina Faso).  Five pilot projects will last 18 months and will contribute to the exchange of information and knowle dge between UNITAR and IDRC teams. 
23. Through its Urban Poverty and Environment (UPE) program, 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 leve l.  The treatment and use of greywater is not 
limited to new techniques, but is also an activity that has a long history in the Middle East and North 
Africa (MENA) region.  IDRC has supported at leas t five projects on greywater since 1998.  In 2007-
08, IDRC built on this early work by providing support to the following projects: IP/C/W/519/Add.5 
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  (a) Addressing the Sanitation Ch allenge in Poor Urban Areas:   This project will 
design, test, and assess sanitation technologies in two small towns in Kenya (Naivasha) and Uganda (Masaka) from the pe rspective of gender, climatic conditions, 
hydrogeology and appropriateness with the view to accelerating improved access to water and sanitation particularly for the urban poor. 
(b) Application and Adaptation of WHO Guidelines for the Safe Use of Wastewater, 
Excreta and Greywater in Low-income Urban Settings :  This project pilots the 
application and adaptation of the World Health Organization's 2005 Guidelines for 
the Safe Use of Wastewater, Excreta and Greywater in low-income urban settings in three developing countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). 
24. Through the Rural Poverty and Envir onment (RPE) program IDRC has supported 
participatory action-research, policy analysis and in stitutional innovation and reforms, and contributed 
to the development of networks, partnerships and communities of pr actice in order to enhance the 
food, water and income security of the rural poor.  Examples of projects that have involved technology transfer to LDCs include: 
(a) African Highlands Resource Management :  Through R&D on critical issues of 
natural resources management related to so il productivity and land use efficiency in 
selected highland locations in Uganda, Tan zania, and Kenya, this initiative aims to 
improve the nutritional security and inco me of these agricultural communities. 
(b) Strengthening the capacity for resea rch and development to enhance NRM 
(natural resource management) in Sub-Saharan Africa :  This project aimed to 
strengthen the capacity of national agricultural research and extension systems 
(NARES) in Africa to apply participatory approaches and cutting-edge ideas to research for development in six African c ountries.  In Zimbabwe, the farmers have 
tried a water harvesting technique, combined with fertilizer or manure.  In Uganda, 
the research team conducted tr ials with technologies to increase soil fertility resulted 
in improved yields on maize, soya bean and rice.  
(c) People and Resource Dynamics in Mountain Watersheds of the Hindu-Kush 
Himalayas Project (PARDYP) - Phase III :  This research operated in five 
watersheds across the Hindu-Kush Himalayas in  China, India, Nepal and Pakistan.  In 
Nepal, India, and Pakistan, the focus was on testing and adapting productive technologies such as sprinklers for using l ess water, growing vegetable crops off 
season, and a system of rice intensification. 
25. Through its Ecosystem Approaches to Human H ealth (Ecohealth) program, IDRC aims for an 
integrated understanding of the social, economic, bioph ysical, and ecological determinants of health 
while improving environmental sustainability.  New knowledge is used to design and test 
interventions for improving health and well-being through multi-sector approaches that include better 
environmental management.  For example, a ke y objective of the Asian Partnership for Avian 
Influenza Research (APAIR) is the production of reli able research on avian influenza (AI) that can be 
used to influence prevention and control practice from individual to national to regional levels.  The 
focus on building the capacity of regional research ers for systems-oriented, comparative research 
work aims beyond the current AI preoccupation to  impact public health through better disease 
prevention and management in general.  Since early  2005, IDRC has played an active role in bringing 
together grants councils, researchers and prepare dness authorities from Cambodia, China, Indonesia, 
Thailand and Vietnam to develop collaborative r esearch on highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) 
and more broadly on pandemic influenza prev ention and control.  The intent was to:  IP/C/W/519/Add.5 
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  (a) strengthen Asian national and regional applied policy and systems and socio-
economic research capacity to fight pandemic influenza; 
(b) improve knowledge genera tion and management through collaboration and 
coordination between national research ers and between countries in Asia; 
(c) identify a set of priority activities that a regional partnership might undertake in the 
short and longer terms; and  
(d) set the groundwork for the development of the partnership. 
To date, six research priorities and related research projects have been implemented.  Each projects’ 
multi-country research team collaborates closely to build capacity and ensure consistency of approach 
within each project in the use of rele vant research methodologies and techniques. 
IV. INDUSTRY CANADA 
26. 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. 
27. 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).  
28. 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.   
29. 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.  Its goal is to promote Canadian spectrum 
management technologies and know-how through te chnology transfer activities through Canadian 
private-sector partners.  In add ition, Industry Canada is leading negotiations of mutual recognition 
agreements on telecommunication equipment. 
V. NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL (NRC)  
30. 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 IP/C/W/519/Add.5 
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  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. 
VI MULTILATERAL ACTIVITIES 
31. 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). 
32. 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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