According to estimates, 28% of patents filed in India have at least one women as a contributor, but in Gujarat, the share is estimated at 10%
Support of family members is one of the most critical reasons to encourage women to own Intellectual Property, said local women who have filed for patents. According to estimates, 28% of patents filed in India have at least one women as a contributor, but in Gujarat, the share is estimated at 10%.
"A woman has to balance between family responsibilities and work. Fortunately, I got the support of my husband, which was not with the case with a lot of my colleagues, who are equally talented," said Usha Mehta, a faculty at Nirma University. Mehta has filed a patent for testing of Integrated Circuits (ICs) for its use in electronic devices.
Her system reduces the time and cost of testing, for which she had file a patent in 2017. She was participating in an event organized by YJ Trivedi and Company on the occasion of World IP Day, which falls on April 26. This year, the theme is to appreciate the contribution of women in creating IP and encourage them.
According to Mehta, one of the most important thing to own an IP is focus on work, which is difficult when one is married. Janki Patel, a nutritionist based in Ahmedabad also agrees.
"I come from a very educated family. My husband is also holding a high position in one of the corporates. Since everyone is very educated, the support I received was very natural. I had all the motivation to pursue research," said Patel.
She is also a daughter of Dr Devendra Patel, a cancer specialist, who was recently awarded Padma Shri.
As a part of her doctoral thesis, she established a relation between nutrition and mental stress. Later on, she prepared a dietary formula, based on her research, to be given to people suffering from mental stress.
Another major challenge according to Patel is the availability of financial resources, which can deter many of the bright minds to carry on with their research. Mehta feels that the role of academia is the most critical to encourage people own IP. "We need an ecosystem that encourages children to think and nurture their ideas. However, the education system kills the spirit of innovation in children," said Mehta.
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