Developing A “Living Laboratory” for Sustainabilitywith Technology Requiring IP Protection

Devinder Mahajan, Ph.D.

Global Forum on Law, Justice and Development The Role of IP in Developing Countries

World Bank/IMF Annual Meeting Washington, DC

October 10, 2013

• Hosts: LJD and DoS • EB/TPP/IPE Office, U.S. Department of State • The World Bank Group

Acknowledgments

• 1.3 billion people live on $1.25/day• UN: SDGs (2013)• President Jim Yong Kim, The World Bank Group in The Guardian Interview, July 2012

- I want to eradicate poverty - Most jobs are created by the private sector

• LDCs: TRIPS Agreement (extended till 2021) - Building technological base- Capacity building

Developing Countries-Poverty Issue

• Technology and Prosperity Linkage • International patent filing (a measure of global competitiveness in technology): U.S., Japan and Germany accounted for 58% of the total (UN WIPO, 2013)• LDCs- Not even on the radar screen• Sub-Sahara Africa- A rather poor showing

How do we change this?

IP Issues

• East Africa Oil & Gas market is about $4 billion (2013) Upcoming East Africa Oil Projects - 100,000 bpd refinery in Kenya's northeastern town of Isiolo to refine crude from Turkana. - Uganda's first refinery estimated to cost ~$2.5 billion. - Proposed $12 billion refinery in Mozambique. Planned capacity ~350,000 bpd.Power Africa (President Obama, June 2013)• Phase 1 target: Develop 10,000 MW power to light 20 million

households. • U.S.: $7 billion over 5 years (e.g. USAID $285 million)Kenya 2030 Initiative • A key part of the initiative is a robust economy driven by a stable, efficient and reliable supply of electricity to fuel economic growth.

East Africa

TBI: Key Partners

• TBI: A partnership between the Leakey Foundation and Stony Brook University

Turkana Basin: Key Facts

• TB Least developed county in Kenya (per capita: 1/8th).

• Environmental degradation is a way of life- Trees to charcoal production is alarming.

• Abundant Renewables: Solar, Biomass, Geothermal. • Oil & Gas finds will transform the region in 5 years.

TBI: Mission and Scope

• Both TBI sites operate on Solar and/or wind. Primary Focus: Understand “Human Evolution”Energy: Poverty reduction in the region. • Local capacity building. • A “Living Laboratory” in Kenya to serve as a

model of Sustainability.

Ileret Turkwel

• Establish Energy education and research center. - Facility accessible to faculty and students in sub-Sahara Africa

• Develop local renewable energy sources.- TBI is off-grid. Utilize solar, wind and other

resources to power TBI facilities.- Work with SMEs and import technology with

IP protection• Provide employment to local communities

TBI: Approach

TBI-E: Education

• Develop and offer undergraduate & graduate courses in Energy.

• Follow TBI semester modules already in operation for “Human Evolution”. Offer full Semester (15 credits)

• Target African students. Seek industry and public sponsorships to meet African students’ financial needs.

TBI-E: R&D Focus

TBI-EPowerFuels

• Produce: 1) Power using Doum nut and 2) Fuel (diesel) using algae, to meet the energy needs of TBI facility (near term).

• Production of fuels from atmospheric CO2 (long-term).

TBI, a “Living Laboratory” for Sustainability

TBI Implementation Plan

• Partnerships will local institutions is key to effective TBI presence in sub-Sahara Africa.

- Jomo-Kenyatta University of Agriculture of Technology (JKUAT)

• Need village-level technologies to meet electric (Power Africa relevance) and fuel needs.

• IP protection- working with SMEs.

TBI: Looking Forward

1. Infrastructure completion at TBI sites.2. Self-sufficiency in Power and Fuel to

demonstrate Sustainability.3. IP is a key component to move forward. 4. Separate fundamental science (open) from

technology (IP based).5. TBI establishes partnerships with industry

and local universities (IP sharing model).6. The model is replicated throughout Sub-Sahara Africa.

Open Questions

1. How do we attract SMEs to developing countries?

2. Would engaging local universities in joint IP development model work?

3. Is there a way forward for LDCs after TRIPS Agreement expires (in 2021)?

4. Can we separate Science (open source) from Technology (IP based) for discussion purposes?

Additional Slides

Our U.S. Facilities

Facilities (to train African faculty and students) • Recently established Low-Carbon Energy

Management (L-CEM) laboratories at the AEC will be the staging ground.

• Build Energy R&D facilities at TBI (Supplemental Facilities)

• BNL Long Island Solar Facility (LISF)- 32 MW capacity to power 5400 homes. - Northeast Solar Energy Research Center (NSERC)- 1 MW R&D Facility