Research on the gender gap in intellectual property and initiatives aimed at supporting women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics are extremely important.
This was emphasized by Liubov Maidanyk, Deputy Director of the Ukrainian National Office for Intellectual Property and Innovations (UANIPIO/IP Office), during an online event organized by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) on March 10, 2025.
During the event, WIPO presented a pilot study “Gender Gap in Industrial Designs of Central European and Baltic States”. The study shows that the number of women designers in the Central European and Baltic States (CEBS) regional group has increased from 9.5% to 18% (from 2013 to 2021). And Ukraine is currently in first place among the CEBS countries as the country that has made the greatest contribution to the growth in the absolute number of female designers.
During the online event, designers from the CEBS regional group shared their thoughts on the opportunities and challenges in the field of industrial designs, and representatives of Ukrainian, Polish, Hungarian and Lithuanian IP Offices outlined ways to promote innovation and creativity in this area.
Liubov Maidanyk, as the coordinator of the Creative Sectors Development, shared that UANIPIO implements several initiatives closely related to supporting women, in particular women in industrial designs.
“The indicators presented in the WIPO study show that Ukrainian women play a significant role in the design industry, and I am very proud of this. Ukrainian IP Office pays great attention to initiatives aimed at raising IP awareness, and women are one of the main target audiences”,- noted the speaker, adding that UANIPIO maintains constant communication with representatives of the creative industries. These are not only fashion designers, but also many other creative professionals.
Liubov Maidanyk
“We see intellectual property as a key tool for women to realize their potential, receive economic benefits and enforce their rights, including being recognized as an author or designer”,- emphasized Liubov Maidanyk.
According to her, the Ukrainian IP Office closely cooperates with the Ukrainian Fashion Education Group (UFEG), in particular, conducts seminars to assist women in fashion and design to protect their rights. They also discuss the latest technologies, such as artificial intelligence in the fashion industry, which opens up new challenges in the IP sphere.
Another project of the Ukrainian IP Academy, created with the support of WIPO, is focused on women in the visual arts. UANIPIO assists them in exploring their rights, opportunities for monetizing their creative output, and tools for protecting them. It also works with women entrepreneurs – cooperating with business clubs, such as the Business Woman Club, to better understand their needs in the field of small and medium-sized businesses.
“I would like to emphasize the initiative for girls in STEM. It is known that women are underrepresented in science, technology, engineering and mathematics compared to men. This initiative helps to expand their opportunities in these areas, particularly in design and technology, which is a powerful driver of innovation”, – said Liubov Maidanyk.
She noted that the Ukrainian IP Office also actively works in the field of folk arts and crafts. Together with WIPO, the Ukrainian IP Academy organized a four-week training program for masters of folk art and crafts. This initiative is important not only from the IP perspective, but also for the preservation of cultural heritage.
“We are convinced that in a few years we will be able to assess the results of such initiatives even better. They are extremely important in various areas, especially in times of war, when women take the initiative and become leaders in their fields. Intellectual property is one of the key tools they can use to protect their interests and develop their business”,- summarized Liubov Maidanyk.
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