The following communication, dated 7 November 2018, from the delegation of New Zealand, is being circulated pursuant to paragraph 1 of the Decision on Implementation of Article 66.2 of the TRIPS Agreement (IP/C/28).

_______________

1. This submission provides an updated report on New Zealand's activities in pursuit of commitments under Article 66.2 of the TRIPS Agreement concerning technology transfer to least developed countries (LDCs) for the period July 2017 - June 2018 and actions planned.
2. Article 66.2 of the TRIPS Agreement provides that "developed country Members shall provide incentives to enterprises and institutions in their territories for the purpose of promoting and encouraging technology transfer to least developed country Members in order to enable them to create a sound and viable technological base".
3. Technology transfer is interpreted in this report broadly to include training, education and "know‑how", along with any capital component. We see four key modes of technology transfer: i) physical objects or equipment; ii) skills and human aspects of technology management and learning; iii) designs and blueprints which constitute the document-embodied knowledge on information and technology; and iv) production arrangement linkages within which technology is operated.
4. We appreciate that LDC Members have an interest in learning more about the outcomes and operation of Members' technology transfer programmes. As an annex to this report we have included a table of specific examples of technology transfer to LDCs. The table is in response to comments by LDCs wanting the adoption of a more standardised format of reporting.