Each year on April 26, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) hosts World IP Day, a celebration of the role of intellectual property (IP) in spurring creativity and innovation. This year’s theme, “Women and IP: Accelerating Innovation and Creativity", focuses on celebrating enterprising women around the world. USF Tech Transfer is pleased to raise awareness and highlight some of the women inventors we work with who use IP rights to accelerate their technologies and inspire the next generation of innovation.
Video: Dr. Tomar Ghansah and Dr. Victoria Marshall give advice to young girls who want to invent and discover
WIPO's 2023 campaign has a strong emphasis on gender equality, seeking to raise critical public awareness and advocating for more women inventors, creators and entrepreneurs to participate in the IP system. Women everywhere are shaping the world, but often don't have access to the knowledge, skills, resources and support they need to succeed. The goal is to recognize and demonstrate how closing the IP gender gap would benefit society.
"Creative freedom should not be defined by gender, but more so by an inventor’s passion to make a difference and be a change agent for humanity," said Dr. Sylvia Thomas, interim vice president for research and innovation at USF. "Women and girls are poised to be creative in every walk of life, fueling our groundbreaking ideas; therefore, encouraging generations of female entrepreneurs, inventors, and creative thinkers is essential to the world’s sustainability and longevity."
Video: Dr. Tomar Ghansah and Dr. Victoria Marshall speak about the challenges for women in innovation and IP
World IP Day was first launched in 2000 to help promote and protect creative ideas, including music, art, trademarks, writings, and inventions. The annual campaign offers USF a unique opportunity to join with others around the globe to explore how IP drives technological innovation as well as showcase the discoveries and inventions happening every day at the University of South Florida.
Video: Dr. Victoria Marshall talks about her current technology, OncoCare Connect
Dr. Tomar Ghansah talks about her discovery, a protein that can improve chemotherapy and immunotherapy responses
Dr. Ghansah and Dr. Marshall are only two of the great examples within USF of the role intellectual property plays in achieving your goals. Both have spoken on the importance of mentorship to inspire the next generation of inventors, creators, and entrepreneurs. USF has hundreds of technologies across all disciplines available. To learn more about World IP Day or to partner on any of the technologies happening at USF, please contact ttoinfo@usf.edu.