Connections
25 August 2020
We’ve all had reason to reflect on the value of association and what it means for us individually and collectively through these past years. In our specialised field we’re very grateful for professional associations – whether those are business to business relationships, the like-minded individuals and groups we intersect with in the plant variety IP ecosystem at trade shows, in the market place, at conferences, or that we especially seek out as part of our ongoing professional development. These associations provide and enable connection and affiliation around common purpose, and access to thinking and understanding beyond the knowledge and experience of the individuals.
Being proactive and curious, there’s a stand-out association that we’re proud to be closely associated with – and, that’s CIOPORA. We’ve been active participants in this association for over ten years – starting that relationship as guests at the Rome, Italy, 50th anniversary AGM & IP meeting in 2010. On reflection, joining that meeting felt like a home coming. Working fully-focussed in the plant variety IP field for over 25 years, we’ve met and created some very interesting and enabling linkages with other professionals – some in private business, some in public or private research, others legal and financial people with that special bent for this field…but meeting a whole room full of those like-minded people at the CIOPORA event, we knew this was genuinely an association for us.
Since that time our appreciation of the value of this association has only grown. And, it’s fair to ask what is that value? It’s a broad and deep offering including ready access to up to date changes in legislation and regulation in easily digestible web-based content, a peer group who individually and collectively are prepared to challenge the status quo to improve the legal and commercial operating environment for all stakeholders, lobbying and advocating for these things at national and global level, a great deal of investment in building bridges through communication that open up understanding and dialogue with key agencies, raising the knowledge and practice bar across the membership through customised teaching products, and bringing the wholistic value that the horticultural plant variety innovation sector generates internationally into the light.
In our experience the association thrives through the cooperation and connection of its members – all associated stakeholders doing better together. As an association CIOPORA is adept at striking a balance as resource centre and fund of knowledge, and a front foot leadership team creating momentum for advances in plant variety intellectual property.
That’s the power of association – and as we work with our colleagues across the world through this association, taking as optimistic approach as possible to dealing with the challenges and opportunities these past years have brought about, we look forward to contributing to growing that value.
If you’d like to learn more about the work of CIOPORA please go to the website below – you’ll be amazed at the scope of the topics covered and we hope like us you’ll see the value in joining the association.
Please note Wendy Cashmore and Andrew Mackenzie participate in CIOPORA representing the member Trajectory 762 Limited; Wendy Cashmore is a Board member and Co-Vice President of the association.
CIOPORA: Uniting Breeders, Protecting Innovation. www.ciopora.org
CIOPORA is the International Association of Breeders of Asexually Reproduced Horticultural Varieties. Breeders of such varieties account for two-thirds of all Plant Variety Rights (PVR) titles in the world. For almost 60 years, CIOPORA has represented these breeders in all matters of Intellectual Property (IP) protection and aims to foster an environment in which the innovation of these breeders can flourish. CIOPORA is a member-based, non-profit organization.
