From May 8 to 17, 2012 CLDP, in concert with USPTO, provided consultations on ‘Effective Patent Examination’ to a delegation of patent examiners, lawyers, and administrators from Iraq’s Central Organization for Standardization & Quality Control (COSQC) of the Ministry of Planning. Protection of intellectual property rights is critical to Iraq’s efforts to foster an environment conducive to domestic and foreign investment. The program provided specialized training in the patent application, filing and review process from a private and public sector perspective. The delegation also participated in extensive practical training on claims analysis and effective patent searching exercises. The consultations offered a unique opportunity for the COSQC to re-examine their current patent examination process. CLDP will continue to work jointly with the COSQC to develop the capacity of their patent examiners in order to further support Iraq’s economic development through innovation and technology.