Inclusive IP
Research indicates that women are not participating in the IP system at the same rates as men, and that the relative deficit in access to the intellectual property (IP) system by women is present across all forms of IP rights. Solving this problem has the potential to greatly benefit individual women and businesses, as well as societies at large. At the individual level, increasing women’s access to the IP system can have such benefits as increased pay, better professional opportunities, and increased visibility within their fields. In terms of the societal level, economists have written that closing the gender gap with regard to patents could increase nations’ GDP.
The resources on this website explain the reasons why people from underrepresented groups may engage less with IP systems, and identify promising practices from governments and other stakeholders to tackle these root causes.
Extending Access to All Inventors
Innovation Council SME Mentoring Guides
The Innovation Council has developed four IP mentoring pilot programme guides that mentors can use to provide support materials to their mentees for each of the four designated sessions for mentors and mentees.
The purpose of developing these materials is to test this methodology for supporting SMEs in developing an IP strategy. The IC would like as many people as possible to test this methodology and is grateful for feedback to determine if the guides are useful.
National Office Strategies for Closing the Gender Gap
This paper provides an evidence-based assessment of how national IP offices and government agencies are addressing the gender gap in IP ownership and participation. Drawing on interviews with officials from 14 countries, analysis of more than 30 equity initiatives, and a structured review of emerging evaluation metrics, the study identifies key practices with potential for broader adoption.
Policy Approaches to Close the Intellectual Property Gender Gap – Practices to Support Access to the Intellectual Property System for Female Inventors, Creators and Entrepreneurs
In this WIPO research paper from 2021, Jennifer Brant, Kaveri Marathe, Jaci McDole and Mark Schultz analyze the key factors behind the persistence of gender IP gaps, across regions, and look for emerging best practices in addressing them. The authors conclude that, because most programs are not evaluated for impact, it may be too soon to identify true best practices.
Improving Diversity & Inclusion in Intellectual Property Development and Management: A Guide for Organizations
This Guide (2024), developed by Craig Moss of Ethisphere and Jennifer Brant of Innovation Insights, provides insights for leaders of organizations that are working to mainstream gender considerations into their processes for identifying and managing innovation. The guide outlines, step by step, how to sustainably improve inclusion, and it provides metrics for evaluating the organization’s baseline and tracking progress over time.
WIPO’s four building blocks for IP diversity impact in 2023
This article describes momentum at WIPO, in partnership with companies, government officials, and other stakeholders, to creative inclusive IP and innovation ecosystems. One noteworthy initiative highlighted in the piece is the organization of consultations across geographic regions by WIPO with Invent Together, bringing together private sector leaders, officials, and representatives from NGOs and tech transfer experts to share their experiences and insights about improving access to IP systems for people from underrepresented groups.
Closing Innovation and Intellectual Property Diversity Gaps A Global Literature Review
This WIPO economics working paper (2024) by Elodie Carpentier, Jennifer Brant, Utsav Bahl, and Aikaterini Kanellia contains a comprehensive review of available literature about the gender IP gap. The authors highlight the programs and policies that show particular promise in dismantling IP gaps, across regions.
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