Testimonials

Past Experiences from Interns

Sheila Agnani “I found my experience of working with CAS-IP to be very interesting and thoroughly enjoyable. I was given the opportunity to explore intellectual property issues with the CG from a legal perspective, as well as to appreciate the practicalities of such issues from a scientific or general (non-legal) perspective. This really helped me put my academic knowledge to practical use.”
RJ Coleman “I would highly recommend this programme to anyone who wants to gain experience whilst making a difference and especially for those who want to see how law and development works on the global stage.”
George Kun “My internship at FARA1 was very educational and an amazing experience. I observed that there is a big difference between learning about cases in contract law and practical experience. I am glad to have been a part of this programme.”
Paul Skinner “I had a really enjoyable time both in Rome and Sri Lanka… I believe I managed to contribute something useful to IWMI during my stay.”
Rachel Weatherup “I very much enjoyed my time at IRRI”

Comments from Host Centres

FARA1 “The Intern was excellent in the performance and delivery of her assignments. Besides developing a solid IP policy for FARA, she also helped a lot in drafting as well as reviewing contracts and agreements between FARA and other institutions. Her legal understanding is excellent. She also appeared very well prepared for this internship; she had read a lot about FARA before arriving here. On behalf of the Executive Director of FARA, I would like to thank the organisers of this programme for considering FARA as a key participant. Thank you”
ICRISAT “Mr Jayesh Soni did an excellent job as part of his Legal Internship with ICRISAT. He was a hard and dedicated worker. He did a lot of ground work initially in digesting ICRISAT policy guidelines which helped in reviewing a set of ICRISAT agreements, web pages and he finally conducted a health check for the ICRISAT IP Office. Major credit goes to CAS-IP for giving him an induction programme prior to arriving at ICRISAT.”
IWMI “Paul (Skinner) interned at IWMI between 23 July – 20 August 2007 during which he was responsible for developing draft procedures and guidelines for the management of research data at IWMI. Paul performed these responsibilities with a high degree of professionalism and efficiency. He arrived with a good basic knowledge of IWMI’s work and interacted well with a wide range of IWMI staff whose work was relevant to his task. He also showed the ability to adapt his thinking during the course of his internship based on the review of his initial draft to the satisfaction of IWMI’s management. We also found Paul to be extremely personable and a pleasure to work with.”

After the Internship

Examples of how the CAS@Cambridge Intern Programme has Influenced the Careers of Former Interns:

Guat Hong Teh
Guat Hong was an intern in 2004 for IWMI in Sri Lanka. She is now a full time consultant for CAS-IP! When asked how the programme had influenced her she said:

“It had many positive influences. I was able to gain a close insight into IP issues in the public sector, allowing me to understand and deal with clients from non-profits and universities. Further, I had the opportunity to interact with colleagues from many different cultures and backgrounds which taught me many soft skills required by legal practitioners….the experience enriched me both personally and professionally…. I learnt and acquired many skills not taught in law school!”

Sue Anne Teo
Sue Anne was an intern in 2005 for CIP, Peru. She is now working as a Protection Assistant at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) office in Malaysia. When asked how the programme influenced her career choices she said:

“It furthered my resolve to do human rights work and showed me how to apply my legal knowledge to my daily work”

George Kun
George liked the programme so much he was an intern 2 years running! In 2006 he worked for FARA in Ghana, and in 2007 he returned to the CAS-IP office to continue of the work he had started the previous year. He is now pursuing a LL.M course. When asked to comment on the intern programme he said:

“I think the programme is fantastic–it allows students to work with diverse group of people and learn new things that are not taught in college. After my internship I was motivated to take an Intellectual Property Rights course and have since been interested in that area of the law”

Francesca Re Manning
Francesca was an intern in 2005 for CIFOR in Indonesia. She is now a solicitor in the UK specialising in Commercial and IP Law. When asked if the programme had influenced her career she said:

“I am sure that it has helped improve my CV!”

Francesca has since worked on several short projects for CAS-IP. Most recently she travelled to Rome in 2007 and made a presentation on “Exploiting Intellectual Property” at the CAS-IP National Partners Initiative Meeting.

Darryl Martin
Darryl completed his internship in 2005 completing his placement at ICRAF in Kenya. He is currently pursing his US law qualifications and when asked about his experience on the CAS Internship programme he said:

“One of the best experiences of my life, it gave me an understanding as to the opportunities of legal work in an NGO framework.”

1 FARA is not a CGIAR center but host a CG-wide programme hence justifying why a CAS intern went there.