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Intangibles (intellectual capital) resources are now largely recognized as the most important sources of an organizations’ competitive advantage. At the corporate level, intangible investments (R&D, innovation, knowledge creation and fertilization, marketing and advertising expenditures) are now unanimously considered as the most important determinants of performance. At the macroeconomic level, new growth theories have already demonstrated the importance of knowledge in the performance of nations.

On May 28-29 2009, the World Bank Institute hosted an important event on Intellectual Capital (IC5) in Paris. It was the fifth conference on this topic, organized by the Innovation and Skills Cluster, Knowledge and Learning Department of the World Bank Institute, in partnership with the European Chair on Intellectual Capital Management of University of Paris-Sud. The conference is now established as a recognized platform for exchange among experts, scholars and policy makers and receives endorsement from OECD, INPI (French Intellectual Property Institute), the European Patent Office, European Investment Bank, and the New Club of Paris.

This year's event explored the challenges and opportunities stemming from today's global crisis and its impact on intellectual capital, as well as topics such as open innovation, innovation and demography, and intellectual capital of nations, regions, and cities.

Administrative Contact

• Michelle J. Lemaire
  Email: mlemaire@worldbank.org

If you have any queries about the conference content or presentations, please contact Justine White, Operations Officer, World Bank Institute at jwhite@worldbank.org

For related learning materials, please see

• The Fourth World Conference on Intellectual Capital for Communities. May 22-23, 2008.
• The Second World Conference on Intellectual Capital for Communities. June 29-30, 2006.
• Intellectual Capital for Communities in the Knowledge Economy: Nations, Regions and Cities. June 20, 2005.