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Technology and Innovation, Vol. 19, pp. 701-706, 2018 ISSN 1949-8241 • E-ISSN 1949-825X
Printed in the USA. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.21300/19.4.2018.701
Copyright © 2018 National Academy of Inventors. www.technologyandinnovation.org

STRATEGIES TO CLOSE THE GENDER GAP IN INVENTION
AND TECHNOLOGY COMMERCIALIZATION

Kelly B. Sexton and Frances S. Ligler 3
1,2
1 Office of Technology Commercialization and New Ventures, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
2 Office of Technology Transfer, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
3 Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
and North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA

The commercialization of innovations created at universities is a key driver of economic growth
in the U.S., contributing $1.3 trillion to the U.S. economy and creating as many as 4.2 million
jobs from 1996 to 2015 (1). Protection of the intellectual property (IP) created at universities
through patenting is key to enabling this commercialization. As stewards of the IP generated
largely through taxpayer funding, university technology transfer offices (TTOs) must create
processes and foster a culture that fully engages the university’s entire talent pool. Current data
indicate that female faculty are less engaged in every area of technology commercialization than
male faculty. This paper proposes practical approaches that university TTOs can implement to
address the gender gap in invention and technology commercialization.

Key words: Gender; Innovation; Technology commercialization; Invention disclosure; Patent;
Invention

INTRODUCTION of female faculty engagement with the university
The existence of a gender gap with regard to issued technology commercialization infrastructure can also
U.S. patents is well-documented (2). Addressing this be analyzed in order to determine potential factors
gap is essential to our nation’s economic competitive- that may discourage female faculty participation in
the commercialization process. An evaluation of the
ness, as we simply cannot maintain a competitive potential reasons behind the gender gap in gener-
position in the global economy if we are not effec- ating intellectual property (IP) within a university
tively commercializing the intellectual capital of setting produces pragmatic solutions that university
our entire talent pool. Given the priority that many technology transfer offices (TTOs) can implement in
campuses place on diversity and inclusion, it is sur- order to begin to move the needle towards innovation
prising to find that the gender gap in patenting holds parity among all faculty members.
true in the academic setting (3). While patents are The first point of engagement in the university
an obvious outcome of participation in technology technology commercialization process is typically
commercialization, inventorship is not the only met- for a faculty member to submit a record of invention
ric that should be assessed. Additional indicators (also referred to as an invention disclosure) to report

_____________________
Accepted: March 1, 2018.
nd
Address correspondence to Kelly B. Sexton, Ph.D., U-M Tech Transfer, 1600 Huron Parkway, 2 Floor, Building 520, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2590, USA.
Tel: +1 (734) 763-0614; Fax: +1 (734) 998-9630. E-mail: kbsexton@umich.edu

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