Engaging Women Innovators: Analytical Support for Women Innovator Programming in University Technology Transfer

There is a gender disparity in the field of academic technology transfer and commercialization. More males than females are disclosing and patenting their ideas and research despite the increase in female faculty members at universities over recent years. The Office of Technology Management (OTM) at Washington University in St. Louis (WUSTL) initiated the Women in Innovation and Technology (WIT) program in 2014 in an effort to increase participation of women in technology transfer activities, including disclosure and patenting of inventions. The OTM hypothesized that low female involvement in commercialization may be positively impacted if constructive support for female innovators was made available and structural changes to engaging women in technology transfer were enacted. This article summarizes the results of technology transfer activities by women innovators both prior to and three years into WIT programming. Internal data collected by the WUSTL OTM with respect to invention disclosures, patent applications, and individual participants were evaluated to determine if WIT programming improved participation of women in technology transfer activities. The data indicated that there was indeed an increase, specifically one within the female faculty population. The number of disclosures submitted to the OTM by female creators and the patent applications filed by the OTM on behalf of women inventors were both increased. These findings show persuasive evidence that programming aimed at women innovators can enhance the engagement of female creators, such as female faculty members, students, postdoctoral fellows, and staff, in technology transfer activities.