Rachel Pasher Eijkenaar
I enjoyed participating in the Israel Smart Cities Institute conference for local councils mayor candidates.
Academic insights were intertwined with concrete proposals for actions that any candidate at the conference could take into consideration, if and when elected.
As a participant in a panel discussion at the conference, I hope that I succeeded to create more awareness and interest about the knowledge assets that each municipality possess. I reviewed the importance of knowledge assets, their value and characteristics and explained that there are ways to protect municipal knowledge using the legal tools of intellectual property law, many of which do not cost money – but require ongoing awareness and action.
Knowledge in municipalities is a valuable asset that is often not recognized as such and is often a “transparent” asset. Recognition and awareness of its existence and immediate implementation of ways not only to protect but also to develop it – may give a good leverage to a local authority after the elections.
Knowledge and intellectual property can serve as a trigger for urban innovation, a lever for the participation of the entire urban community in creating knowledge and leverage for all municipal employees.
Employees can benefit from knowledge and intellectual property by approaching each of their tasks and challenges as an opportunity to find creative solutions that will be credited to them as good employees and help them and the Authority together.
I will be happy, as the other members of the Institute, to answer any questions that may be asked to me by any of the participants regarding these issues.
Good luck to all the candidates.
Rachel Pasher Eijkenaar
Knowledge and Intellectual Assets Advocate