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WOMEN INNOVATOR PROGRAMS IN ACADEMIA 697

a similar likelihood that male and female invention the institution of a women innovator program keeps
disclosures become commercialized (16). Such the topic of unconscious bias relevant in the discus-
comparison could be revealed by tracking license sions of the TTO.
agreements arising from this set of invention disclo- In summary, there is a national need for more
sures because the license agreement represents the universities to elevate their support for women in the
potential for an idea to have commercial translation entrepreneurship and innovation space. The findings
and a measure of partner interest. Since our WIT of this study suggest that the efforts of the WIT pro-
program has only been active for three years, and gram augmented WUSTL OTM’s existing efforts of
OTM data suggests that most licensing occurs up to educating the overall potential innovator population
six years after the invention disclosure, a licensing in a manner that engaged women innovators spe-
metric was not measured in this study. cifically in order to overcome the barriers that have
Another potential explanation for the disparity historically limited their participation in technology
in serial creators could be the decision-making of transfer activities. WIT provided an intentional outlet
the TTO and the perspective by creators that a neg- to the female population at WUSTL for learning
ative decision to patent could be a disincentive to about commercialization and building networks
future participation in technology transfer activ- to enhance this knowledge. Over the three years of
ities. Therefore, the conversion rates of invention WIT programming, more women participated in
disclosures to provisional patent applications were technology transfer activities. In the future, it may
measured. While this decision mostly reflects the be worthwhile to expand WIT or other women inno-
decision-making of a TTO to move a technology vator programs to reach all potential women creators,
forward further toward commercialization, at times inclusive of graduate students and postdoctoral fel-
a TTO will file because of the advocacy of the inves- lows, because these populations are the future faculty
tigator. Potential distinctions were observed in how members at other institutions (and potential lead-
the office converted disclosures listing female cre- ers in university start-up companies). While it was
ators as compared to the overall conversion trend not the directive of WIT to target graduate students
and compared to the conversion rate of disclosures and postdoctoral fellows directly, aspects of the pro-
with male creators. It appears that the conversion gramming were open to the general population, and
rate of female faculty invention disclosures to pro- graduate students and postdoctoral fellows attended
visional applications is beginning to align with the these open WIT events at high levels. At WUSTL, like
overall rate at which all patents were converted as many universities across the nation, student and post-
the WIT program took hold. While it also appeared doctoral fellow populations are exhibiting extreme
that female-only disclosures were initially converted enthusiasm for technology transfer and entrepreneur-
differentially, it is important to point out that often ship activities. It would be expected that exposure to
these disclosures were led by a male faculty member, technology transfer and commercialization during
as the female may often be a graduate student or a the early stages of scientific training would breed
postdoctoral fellow in the faculty member’s labo- more familiarity with the process and translate into
ratory. Therefore, in order to tease out whether a higher potential to commercialize future work.
TTO had unconscious bias, it might be important
to compare disclosure conversions by the gender of REFERENCES
the lead creator or to look over a greater time span 1. Coggburn JD, Neely SR. Publish or perish?
because the conversion rates of disclosures appeared Examining academic tenure standards in pub-
variable year to year. Nonetheless, in our experience, lic affairs and administration programs. JPAE.