Kochi | A webinar on women and intellectual property (IP), organised by a central research agency here, has shed light on gender disparities existing in each stage of the innovation process and gaps in the use of the IP system by women.

Recognising the lack of acceptance being faced by women professionals especially in the private sector, the recent meeting proposed proper understanding of gender imbalances in the area of scientific research.

Organised by the ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute's Institute Technology Management Unit (ITMU) and Women Cell on Wednesday, the webinar suggested encouraging women to study and work in research and academic fields, a release said.

Citing the data of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), Prof Lisa P Lukose of Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, New Delhi said that in 2022, only 16.2 per cent of inventors named in international patent applications were women.

In India, women represent only 6.6 per cent of science researchers, which is much lower than that of advanced countries, she added.

The role of IP in biotechnology innovations in industry and academia, patent law and different forms of intellectual property were discussed in the webinar.

A Gopalakrishnan, Director, CMFRI presided over the meet and Athira P S Nair, Assistant Professor at National University of Advanced Legal Studies (NUALS) and Arati Ashok, Assistant Professor at the Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) presented papers.