I was first introduced to LES at a local chapter meeting in the United States in 1987. Years have passed quickly, and today I am honored to welcome you as President of LESI for the 2011-2012 Society year. Plans for the current year are well underway, focused on three initiatives.
INITIATIVE #1: Expand Participation by Individual Members in LESI Activities
The benefits of LESI participation compliment and meaningfully extend the professional experience of our individual members. We live in a globally integrated intellectual property economy and there is simply no substitute to the insight gained by visiting with LES members from around the world. Outside of the formal LESI conferences, there are rich opportunities to reach out to individual members. More than once I have found myself in a country knowing no one and armed only with my LESI Online Directory. My calls to members are always answered and the hospitality shown has provided me with an insider’s view on both local licensing technology transfer issues as well as local culture. Please make plans to increase your participation in LESI through our (i) expanded LESI Committee structure which now includes well-defined Vice Chair positions, (ii) creation of more than 30 non-governmental organization (NGO) liaison positions to interface with senior policy makers around the globe as part of the LESI Global Technology Impact Forum 2012, and (iii) a true open door policy to my office as LESI President with a goal to find creative ways to meet your interests in our Society.
INITIATIVE #2: Greater Involvement by and Integration with the National Presidents
With 32 LESI Member Societies, our local National Presidents, as well as the legacy of Past National Presidents, presents a unique resource for our Society and each of our members. From time to time, the LESI Board has met with the National Presidents as a group to share updates, but with the coming year we are empowering the National President’s Council to act. As a first step, following the LES USA & Canada Annual Conference, LESI held the first-ever National Presidents planning retreat. This two-day retreat focused on sharing best practices from other Societies as well as development of plans to further build this community of interest. Meetings of the National President’s Council are now scheduled at the Winter Planning Meeting in Geneva, the annual meeting in Auckland in early Summer and the USA & Canada meeting in Toronto this Fall.
INITIATIVE #3: Successful launch of the LESI Global Technology Impact Forum and Invent for Humanity Technology Transfer Exchange Fair
The LESI Board has organized a peer-to-peer, Board-to-Board gathering of more than 25 global non-profits and NGOs relevant to the interests of our members - The LESI Global Technology Impact Forum (GTIF). 
The mission of GTIF is to coordinate and communicate the efforts of leading organizations advancing the business of intellectual property globally. Of the 25 organizations already committed to attend, 4 have agreed to work with LESI as strategic partners for the event – the World Intellectual Property Organization, the World Trade Organization, the International Chamber of Commerce, and the Center for Applied Innovation. GTIF 2012 will provide an overview of critical intellectual property licensing and technology transfer issues as seen by the participants as well as foster unique organizational networking among senior leadership of participating organizations and LESI members from around the globe.
LESI will facilitate post-event follow-up of objectives set during GTIF. Participating NGOs are expected to use this unique organizational networking and collaboration opportunity to move forward a consensus agenda addressing major intellectual property licensing and technology transfer concerns. Such efforts may include the commitment of joint resources from all or a subset of those attending. Although similar forums have been created for more general economic issues, GTIF 2012 represents a first for the broader technology transfer community. Registration is open to all LESI individual members, as well as other interested professionals (Early registration ends December 1st so make your plans today!)
Concurrent with GTIF 2012, all attendees are also included in the Invent for Humanity™ Technology Transfer Exchange Fair, showcasing field-ready sustainable innovations, known as "Appropriate Technology", and leveraging the experience of licensing professionals to structure the actual transfer of such technology to meet recognized needs of emerging market economies. The mission for Invent for Humanity is to:
- Expose technology needs and solutions to the senior leadership of participating organizations at the GTIF.
- Facilitate the practical transfer of Appropriate Technology to developing countries by utilizing Center for Applied Innovation Fellows as well as IP and licensing professionals.
The Invent for Humanity Technology Transfer Exchange Fair is a first-ever event bringing together a renowned collection of technology leaders already capturing the attention of intellectual property and general news media. We welcome your support to reach out to relevant organizations in your local Society. Follow @Invent4Humanity on Twitter, or find us on Facebook or YouTube. Also, if you are not familiar with LESI, please give me a call and I will share the benefits of membership with you!
James E. Malackowski
LESI President, 2011-2012