Intellectual Property (IP) policy is an important document in an organization like higher educations to protect ideas and inventions of their staffs or researchers. IP Policy at universities is a powerful set of rules to create many varieties of intellectual goods stimulating innovation and contributing for technologies development. For these reasons, Universitas Syiah Kuala (Unsyiah), supported by the Spire Project from the European Commission, is currently in the process of drafting an IP Policy to protect intellectual properties belongs to the staffs such as patent, trade mark, industrial design, geographical indication, and plant breeder’s rights as well as copyrights of literary works, artistic works, and architectural designs.

Prof. Samadi as the coordinator for Spire Project at Unsyiah informed that the process of drafting IP Policy is involving an expert in IP Policy from the Faculty of Law at Unsyiah, Dr. Sri Walny Rahayu, S.H., M.Hum. Regular meetings with the agenda to draft IP Policy were held weekly involving the Chairman of the Research and Community Services, Dr. Taufik Fuadi Abidin, S.Si., M.Tech, the head of the Center for Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), Dr. Ir. Abdullah, M.Sc, and a SPIRE team member, Zulfadhli, ST, M.T. The IP Policy document will be ready at the beginning of February 2019. Before the document is legalized by the University Senate, the final draft will be discussed with the Rector and then socialized to all faculty members in the university.

In the last two years, the Center of IPR is getting supports from the SPIRE Project, funded by the European Commission for strengthening the management. Several SPIRE programs have been implemented to improve the capacity building in the form of training such as the one held in ITS, Surabaya last year. The second capacity building activity was held at Chulalongkorn University, Thailand early this year to discuss the Technology Transfer Management.