How universities can help more women become inventors

Even as more women earn PhDs in STEM fields, they remain significantly underrepresented in the innovation economy — the ecosystems across the country responsible for turning research and ideas into patents, technologies, and commercial products.

A new study co-authored by MIT Sloan associate dean of innovation Fiona Murray and Copenhagen Business School’s Mercedes Delgado shows that nationwide, just 17% of new inventors — individuals receiving a patent for the first time — are women.

Within U.S. universities, however, that figure rises to 26%, suggesting that higher education plays a vital role in broadening women’s participation in the innovation economy. 

And that matters. Universities play an important role in driving innovation throughout the U.S. Investing in women inventors could unlock additional talent, expand the pool of ideas, and maximize commercial potential.

Murray and Delgado’s analysis highlights what some universities are doing right and offers a road map for others. 

Their inclusive-innovation scorecard ranks 50 top U.S. universities and university systems based on their share of female STEM PhD students, the percentage of new inventors who are women, how much progress the institutions have made over time, and the technological fit between the university and its region. Emory University in Georgia came out on top. Several others, like Drexel University in Philadelphia, the University of Central Florida, and the University of Virginia, showed measurable gains in female new inventors.

Here are five ways universities can help more women become inventors.

Help women in STEM see invention as a real option

Murray and Delgado stressed that many PhD students — especially women — may not consider patenting their research or exploring its commercial applications because they aren’t aware that those pathways exist. 

To close the gender gap, they argue, universities need to be more proactive in making innovation activities, such as patenting in research labs, more visible and accessible.

That includes integrating information about patenting and technology transfer — the process of turning university research into real-world products or services — into doctoral program curricula and professional education programs.

“If you don’t know what’s possible, you’re unlikely to pursue it,” Murray said.

Highlight women leading in research and invention

Indeed, seeing accomplished women lead research labs, and also file patents and launch ventures, sends a powerful signal to PhDs and other junior faculty members: “You belong here too.”

Delgado and Murray emphasized that visibility matters — not just for representation, but for aspiration. And it’s been shown that leading female faculty members who are top inventors are especially likely to provide support for new inventors in their labs, they said. The pair previously conducted research on the role that top inventor faculty advisers play in mentoring and training PhDs to become new inventors.

For example, at the University of Virginia — ranked second overall on the scorecard — 37% of new inventors from 2016 to 2020 were women. The researchers attribute its high ranking to both a strong pipeline of female PhD candidates and hands-on support for those looking to commercialize their research.

As Murray put it, “If you see someone like you doing something meaningful, you’re far more likely to imagine yourself doing it too.”

Show how innovation can make a difference

Murray said that based on her MIT experience and recent research, women in STEM are especially interested in engaging with innovation when it’s clearly connected to a global benefit — such as improving health outcomes, addressing climate change, or advancing equity.

She argued that universities can encourage a broader group of students when they frame research and invention as tools for solving these big problems. “It just turns out, for whatever reason, women tend to be very attracted to labs where they have line of sight to the big challenges of our time,” she said.

Highlighting how innovation can serve the global good — as well as commercial goals — is one way to broaden participation without compromising ambition, she added.

Take the mystery out of patenting

Murray and Delgado suggested that universities need to do more to demystify the patenting process, which can be confusing and intimidating — especially for PhD students who have had little exposure to the commercialization of science and academic entrepreneurship.

The goal is to show students that innovation is a learnable process, not something reserved for a select few. “When the process is made visible,” Murray said, “we see participation go up — for everyone, but especially for women.” 

They recommend practical steps for university leaders, such as:

• Visiting university labs and learning about faculty members and their PhD advisees’ innovations.
• Hosting patent workshops.
• Offering drop-in hours with the university’s technology transfer office.
• Providing simple, step-by-step guides to commercializing research.

Track the numbers — and act on them

Eight of the top 10 universities ranked on the scorecard are outside the country’s biggest innovation hubs — which indicates that progress on inclusion can expand innovation and growth across regions, Delgado said. 

The takeaway, Delgado and Murray said, is that tracking and sharing this data matters. When universities measure who’s inventing — and take that data seriously — they can start to shift the numbers. 

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