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8 March 2019Patents

International Women’s Day: IP offices highlight progress

In celebration of the achievements of women in the field of IP, the World Intellectual Property Organisation’s education and training academy has published statistics highlighting some of the progress made by women in the last year.

It said that in 2018, 47,000 women participated in its courses, and made up 52% of all participants.

It added that most of these female participants came from Asia and the Pacific (41%), and Latin America and the Caribbean (37%).

In the UK, the government announced the winners of the 2019 Women in Innovation Awards and awarded nine inspiring woman £50,000 to develop inventions to tackle challenges in society.

Nine plaques will be installed across the UK recognising the innovators behind creations such as a new digital app for diabetes, a home ventilation system that could reduce energy bills and wheelchair seating that can be adjusted to improve comfort and posture.

The  US Patent and Trademark Office announced that it would be  dedicating one of its public spaces to Clara Barton, one of the first female clerks at the organisation in honor of International Women’s Day.

In a speech at a “Celebrating Women in Innovation” event on Tuesday, March 5, director Andrei Iancu said the USPTO was committed to increasing the participation of women in STEM fields.

Last month, the USPTO released a report which showed that women inventors still make up just 12% of all patent inventors in the US.

In a response to these findings, Iancu said the USPTO was stimulating discussions across the IP community to highlight the importance of diversity in innovation and patenting.

He added that one of the first steps is to highlight role models that young woman can look up to.

“If we want that little girl to grow up to be a leading chemist, she should probably know about Frances Arnold. That little girl should know that she too could grow up and have many patents, and maybe one day even win the Nobel Prize,” Iancu said.

WIPR's Influential Women in IP programme will be launching in April. For more information contact Sarah Morgan at smorgan@newtonmedia.co.uk.

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