The inventors in Italy are mostly men, only one in seven is a woman. Sardinia is an exception , ranking first in the national ranking and fifth in Europe due to the presence of a high rate of inventors.
According to the study by the European patent office (Epo), 14.3% of Italians who applied for a patent in Europe in the period between 2010 and 2019 are female. Italy is sixteenth among the states that are part of the EPO and manages to do slightly better than the European average which is 13.2%.
For Sardinia the particular case: the region boasts a rate of inventors in patent applications of 27.9% . In Bolzano, for example, the share drops to 4.3%.
“This study - comments Antonio Campinos, president of Epo - puts the spotlight on the contribution of women to technological innovation and on the gaps that must be filled in order to realize the full potential of inventors in Europe. While some progress has been made in recent decades, more needs to be done to strengthen patent inclusiveness. The promotion of women in science and innovation remains an important challenge for Europe , and is a key factor for our future sustainability and competitiveness ”.
A key role in our country is played by universities , in fact there is a 50% share of women among Italian doctoral students in Stem (science, technology, engineering, mathematics), a percentage higher than the French (47%) or German ( 44%).
As for the different areas, chemistry stands out as the technology sector with the highest portion of inventors (22.4% in the period 2010-19 throughout Europe, 27.3% in Italy), while mechanical engineering ( 5.2% across Europe and Italy) has the lowest share .
(Unioneonline / ss)