WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONIP/C/W/132/Add.7
2 October 2000
(00-4006)
Council for Trade-Related Aspects
of Intellectual Property RightsOriginal:  English
IMPLEMENTATION OF ARTICLE  66.2:  INFORMATION FROM
DEVELOPED COUNTRY MEMBERS
Addendum
CANADA
The present document reproduces information on the implementation of Article 66.2 of the
TRIPS Agreement, which has been received from the Permanent Mission of Canada by means of a
communication, dated 20 September 2000.
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Developed country Members have undertaken to provide information regarding their
activities relevant to Article 66.2 of the TRIPS Agreement, namely, the provision of incentives to
enterprises and institutions in their territory, to promote and encourage technology transfer to
least developed country Members (LDCs), in order to help them to create a sound and viable
technological base.
Several Canadian government departments, agencies and programmes are involved in
providing incentives, either directly or indirectly, for Canadian enterprises and institutions to engage
in activities involving technology transfers to developing country Members and LDCs.  Canadaprovides such incentives at the bilateral, regional and multilateral levels.
This current document is illustrative, rather th an a complete documentation, of the activities
and initiatives that Canada is involved in towards creating a sound and viable technological base in
LDCs in accordance with Article 66.2.
The incentives for technology transfers that Canada provides to developing country Members
and LDCs are geared at addressing the organizational knowledge necessary for production and
distribution of goods and services, in addition to the knowledge on which a product, process or
service is based.  Rather than only transferring technology embodied in machinery, equipment and
managerial skills, Canada also provides technology through other means such as training and the
provision of information.  In general, the incentives that Canada provides are focused on the transferof capacity as well as hardware.  Canada does not impose technology transfer requirements on
Canadian investors seeking to invest in developing country Members and LDCs.
The two Canadian agencies most actively involved  in activities relevant to Article 66.2 are the
Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and the International Development Research
Centre (IDRC).  A number of other government departments, agencies and programmes such as
Industry Canada, Export Development Corporation (EDC), and volunteer programmes also contribute
significantly to providing incentives for technology transfers to LDCs.IP/C/W/132/Add.7
Page 2
Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)
CIDA is the lead organization responsible for Canada's Official Development Assistance
(ODA) Programme.  CIDA works with partners in  the private and public  sectors in Canada,
developing country Members, LDCs, and with inte rnational organizations and agencies to support
sustainable development in developing country Members and LDCs to contribute to a more secure,
equitable and prosperous world.  CIDA supports foreign aid projects in over 100 developing country
Members and LDCs with the objective to work with those countries to develop the tools to eventually
meet their own needs.  The Asia, Americas, and Africa and Middle East branches provide most of
CIDA's technology transfer activities to LDCs.
All of CIDA's programme priorities have elements of technology transfer.  Two of the most
relevant are:  (1) Infrastructure Services - which helps developing country Members and LDCs todeliver environmentally sound infrastructure services, with an emphasis on poorer groups and on
capacity building;  and (2) Private-Sector Development - which aims at increasing developing country
Members and LDCs access to investment capital and reinforcing capacity-building by making
available Canadian technology, and managerial, entrepreneurial and technical expertise.  The
Industrial Co-operation Division (INC) promotes the participation of Canadian firms in privateinfrastructure projects in such areas as communications, engineering/technology and computer
science.  The Industrial Co-operation Programme, in particular, provides incentives to Canadian firms
to work in developing country Members and LDCs where their expertise contributes to the transfer of
technologies.
CIDA's activities are designed to increase the level of knowledge, skills, technical know-how
or productive aptitudes of the population of developing country Members and LDCs.  It also sponsors
numerous students and trainees by providing scholarships, fellowships, grants or other funds.
Trainees receive practical training, or participation in study or technical tours, or attend short-term
courses, seminars or conferences.  There has also been an increase in distance education.  The
Educational Institutions Programme (EIP) provides  the most significant support for degree-seeking
scholarship recipients and short-term training.
Experts are funded by CIDA to provide services including teaching, training, provision of
advice, operational and managerial duties, feasibility studies, research, surveys and the
implementation of capital projects.
CIDA's focus on water and sanitation infrastructure is evident in projects such as the Fourteen
Centres Water Supply project.  Through an asso ciation with MJM Engineering of Malawi and
engineers and staff of the Malawi Water Department, there was an important transfer of skills andknowledge.  Officials of the Water Boards and the Malawi Government attended a number of
workshops on Community Based Management and Community Representation in peri-urban water
design, operation and maintenance.  CAD drafting, professional engineering and certified technical
staff, many of whom were from developing country Members and LDCs, provided computer
modelling, GPS surveying and other technical services.
CIDA's Youth Action Division has sponsore d experts working in developing country
Members and LDCs in areas such as training in Internet design.
CIDA was actively involved in Global Knowledge '97, a conference in Toronto co-hosted by
Canada and the World Bank.  The conference played a strong role in consolidating knowledge
transfer and Information and Communication Technolo gies (ICTs) as key issues in the development
agenda.IP/C/W/132/Add.7
Page 3
As part of CIDA's Year 2000 (Y2K) Plans, it contributed close to Can$1 million to the World
Bank's Information for Development (InfoDev) initiative and InfoDev's Y2K programme for
contingency planning seminars for developing country Members and LDCs.
International Development Research Centre (IDRC)
IDRC is a public corporation created by the Parliament of Canada to help developing country
Members and LDCs use science and knowledge to find practical, long-term solutions to the social,
economic and environmental problems they face.  Support is directed toward developing an
indigenous research capacity to sustain policies and technologies in developing country Members and
LDCs.  IDRC has been promoting technologies for managing and sharing information technology for
the past 30-odd years and has been funding the efforts of some 20,000 researchers and policy-makers
from 142 countries.  IDRC has also initiated funding partnerships with other donors, including theprivate sector, to help secure additional support for its research.
It was one of the first organizations to work toward bridging the "digital divide" and has been
supporting research on "connectivity" and into the application of ICTs to improve the lives of people
in developing country Members and LDCs.  A fe w of IDRC's programmes related to technology
transfer are detailed below.
Communities and the Information Society in Africa (ACACIA)
Launched in 1997, ACACIA is the single largest venture IDRC has ever undertaken.  It is a
programme to help disadvantaged communities and social groups in Africa assert control over their
own development through access to, and effective use of, information and communicationtechnologies (ICTs).  Telecentres, the Internet version of public phone booths, are one of the tools
being used by the programme.  ACACIA has also helped set up national advisory committees, such as
in Mozambique, to provide input in local ICT development and projects.  For instance, a multipurpose
telecentre in Timbuktu, Mali, developed in partnership with UNESCO and the International
Telecommunications Union will include resources for distance education and telemedicine as well as
business support services.  ACACIA has also played an important role in promoting school
networking and the development of on-line educational material in countries such as Mozambique.
These initiatives are of particular benefit to the many schools in these countries that are
geographically isolated and lack resources.  A monitoring programme - the Evaluation and Learning
Systems for Acacia (ELSA) - is used to guide ACACIA's current activities and future investment in
ICTs and development.  The ACACIA initiative is  evolving with the programme being extended to
other countries in Africa with the collaborati on of the United Nations Economic Commission for
Africa and new partnerships with the World Bank, the United Nations Development Programme,
UNESCO, the International Telecommunications Union, the African Development Bank, the
European Union, other national donor agencies, and African telecommunication operators and
providers.  ACACIA will also continue its work  with the Information Technology Association of
Canada to support the development of the African ICT private sector and to encourage Canada/Africaprivate sector partnerships.
Small, Medium, and Micro Enterprise Innovation and Technology (SMMEIT)
Most non-agricultural employment in developing country Members and LDCs is generated by
small, medium and micro-enterprises (SMMEs).  ID RC recognizes this by promoting the adaptation,
transfer, commercial development, and marketing by SMMEs of technologies resulting from past
IDRC research support.  Specifically, IDRC supports the identification, adaptation, and transfer of
cleaner technologies and production methods for use by SMMEs, and assisting in the
commercialization by SMMEs of IDRC-funded products and technologies.IP/C/W/132/Add.7
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Sustainable Use of Biodiversity
The systematic mixing of crop varieties of various origins and genetic make-ups significantly
affects the available food supply.  IDRC supports local scientists, people and institutions, to identify
income-generating strategies and appropriate production technologies for the sustainable use of theproducts of biodiversity, such as medicinal plants and non-timber products in LDCs.
Community-Based Natural Resource Management
IDRC initiatives include the integration of natural science components, such as resource
assessment and production technologies that respond to priorities defined by local communities.  In
African LDCs, IDRC efforts have been concentrated on developing and spreading improved
technology for the management of land and water resources.
UNGANISHA – Connecting IDRC Funded Researchers
Under the UNGANISHA programme IDRC-funded projects have been offered direct
financial and technical support to connect project teams to the Internet and train them in the use of
ICTs and in the publishing of documents on the World Wide Web.  The UNGANISHA project hasallowed developing country Members and LDCs researchers to avail themselves of information found
on the Internet and, more importantly, to add their voice to regional and global scientific debates and
discussions.
Industry Canada
Industry Canada, through its "Connecting Canadians" initiative, which includes "Connecting
Canada to the World", promotes global interconnectivity and inter-operability of broadband networks,
applications and services (e.g. telehealth and telelearning).  This federal government department
works to improve the domestic and international investment climate in order to create an orientation
to global markets, including developing country Members and LDCs, by encouraging morecompanies to make their products and services export -ready.  It also fosters international collaboration
for Canadian research institutions in emerging high-growth areas of electronic commerce, genomics,
environmental technologies and advanced engineering.
Within Industry Canada, a number of divisions are particularly active in the technology
transfer area.  For instance, the Information and Communication and Technologies Trade Division has
acted as an implementation agency  for an ODA funded project, organized seminars and workshops on
ICT regulatory issues for and in developing country Members and LDCs, and hosted incoming studymissions.
One initiative, Team Canada Inc., was launched in 1997 with Industry Canada as one of three
founding members.  It is a virtual trade promotion agency currently involving 23 federal departments
and agencies which work with the provinces and territories, and other partners to help Canadian
companies succeed in world markets.
The Office of International Partnerships (OIP) provides a single point of access to the best of
Canada's information and communication technology skills and products for any country or foreign
organization seeking to build their own electronic learning network.  The OIP links foreign
governments, agencies and companies with Canadian companies, organizations and entrepreneurs
who develop and apply information and communi cation technology to learning and training.
Specifically, the OIP offers the exchange of technical knowledge and the co-development of learning
materials and application of educational resources for the Internet.IP/C/W/132/Add.7
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Export Development Corporation (EDC)
EDC is a Crown corporation that provides a full range of trade financial services that helps
Canadian exporters and investors do business in 200 countries, including higher-risk and emerging
markets such as in developing country Members a nd LDCs.  EDC acts as a catalyst to help create
international project opportunities in certain key sectors such as engineering and professional
services;  industrial equipment;  information technologies;  telecommunications;  and advanced
technology.
Within EDC, three teams are actively involved  in the technology transfer area:  (1) the
Advanced Technology (AT) Team - serves exporter s in several sectors, such as electronic parts,
computers, instrumentation and software services ;  (2) the Civil Works and Professional Services
Team - supports a wide range of export business including projects to build water and sewagetreatment plants and other infrastructure;  and (3) the Telecom Team – which works with Canadian
companies to help reduce the risks in key Internet  technologies such as fibre-optics, high-capacity
switching and broadband wireless access.
In 1999, EDC launched an important environmental export initiative, committing more
resources to help Canadian companies in developing and exporting environmental technologies andsolutions.  With EDC's support, Canadian companies have been able to participate in a number of
major environmental projects including wastewater treatment plants, and environmental consulting
services around the world.  EDC's project financing expertise has been used to encourage Canadian
companies to become involved in private sector  financing that has taken root in many African
projects.
Volunteer Programmes
The Government of Canada actively encourages and funds a number of programmes where
skilled Canadian volunteers are sent to developing country Members and LDCs to establish and
further the creation of a sound and viable technology base in those countries.  One such programme isNetCorps Canada International (NetCorps).  NetCorps provides internships of approximately
six months to Canadians with appropriate skill in information and communication technologies.  The
internships are implement by the NetCorps Coalition, which includes some of Canada's largest
volunteer-send international organizations such as the World University Service of Canada, in
partnership with Industry Canada.  NetCorps representatives support developing country Members
and LDCs efforts to enhance their information and communication technologies capacity by working
in the private, public or non-profits sectors.  Volunteers support developmental objectives byimproving the information and communication technology capacity and infrastructure of developing
country Members and LDCs in fields such as health, education and agriculture.  By 31 March 2001,
NetCorps would have placed over 500 Canadians abroad.  Every NetCorps assignment is tailored to
specific needs of the overseas host organization.  They typically involve tasks such as establishing
Internet connections, creating websites, developing databases, setting up and configuring hardware,preparing manuals and documentation, and most placements involve training local personnel to ensure
continuity of the project.  Funding for the prog ramme make available orientation, travel, insurance,
local support in the host country, accommodation, and living allowance for the volunteers.
Multilateral Level Activities
At the multilateral level Canada actively contributes to many international financial
institutions (IFIs) which, in turn, support projects and programmes that provide incentives for
technology transfer to developing country Member s and LDCs.  For instance, Canada's contribution
to the WTO's technical assistance fund facilitates seminars and technical assistance projects for
developing country Members and LDCs.  These projects incorporate a technology transfer elementthrough the allocation of human capital in these countries.  Canada also subscribes to approximatelyIP/C/W/132/Add.7
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4.0 per cent of the Inter-American Development Bank's (IDB) capital.  The IDB has provided a
number of projects including training incentives to the private sector in Haiti, which incorporate
components of technology transfer.  Canadian assistance allows the African Development Bank to
launch micro-finance initiatives, which include incentives for technology transfer to LDCs by
Canadian firms.  Canada's contribution to the Asia Development Bank enables it to support thedevelopment of key infrastructure, such as power, gas and transportation, along with policy reforms to
establish an enabling environment for private sector development in LDCs such as Bangladesh.
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