Professor Myra Tawfik appointed to Special Implementation Team on Intellectual Property

As part of the second phase of the work by the expert panel on the commercialization of University generated intellectual property, Professor Myra Tawfik – an intellectual property expert with longstanding leadership in the areas of IP commercialization & strategy – has been appointed to the Special Implementation Team on Intellectual Property (SITIP).

According to a Government of Ontario press release, SITIP will provide advice on the implementation of the Intellectual Property Action Plan, including the commercialization of research and IP in the province's post-secondary institutions and innovation centres to ensure that Ontario is open for jobs and open for business.

Together, Ontario's SITIP and Intellectual Property Action Plan will respond to the report prepared by the Expert Panel on Intellectual Property and will:

  • Work with post-secondary institutions and research institutes to strengthen mandates related to commercialization entities within their organizations;
  • Strengthen Ontario's IP literacy by developing standardized, web-based basic and advanced IP education curriculums;
  • Create a centralized provincial resource entity that will increase access to sophisticated IP expertise; and
  • Develop a governance framework for organizations supporting entrepreneurial and innovation activities, which incorporates IP considerations.

Other team members include:

  • Jim Balsillie, retired Chairman and Co-CEO of Research In Motion (now Blackberry), Co-founder of the Council of Canadian Innovators, and Founder and Chair of the Centre for International Governance Innovation
  • Dr. Shiri Breznitz, Associate Professor of the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, University of Toronto
  • Dr. Dan Herman, co-founder of MyJupiter Inc. and co-founder of The Centre for Digital Entrepreneurship & Economic Performance (DEEP)
  • Natalie Raffoul, Registered Patent Agent, Managing Partner of Brion Raffoul Intellectual Property Law

For more information, please visit the Government of Ontario's website