03 Mar 2026
EPO Observatory on Patents and Technology publishes new study on women in STEM
The European Patent Office (EPO) Observatory on Patents and Technology has released a new study on women in STEM, revealing slow progress and persistent gaps in inventive activity, patenting entrepreneurship and career development. Published ahead of International Women’s Day, the report underpins the EU’s Gender Equality Strategy, the European Research Area and the New European Innovation Agenda by providing robust, pan-European evidence.
The share of women among inventors in Europe rose only slightly, from 13% in 2019 to 13.8% in 2022. Women are more present in inventor teams (24.1% in 2022, up from 21.6% in 2019), but remain far less likely to be named as individual inventors or startup founders. Portugal and Spain show the narrowest gender gaps.
Participation varies significantly by field. Women are best represented in pharmaceuticals (34.9%), biotechnology (34.2%) and food chemistry (32.3%), but remain scarce in engineering domains such as machine tools (5.7%), basic communication processes (5.5%) and mechanical elements (4.9%). Universities and public research organisations record the highest shares of women inventors (24.4%), while small businesses lag behind.
The study also highlights a pronounced gender gap in patenting startups: only 13.5% have at least one woman founder, though newer ventures are more diverse. Despite strong representation at PhD level, women’s participation declines at each career stage, confirming a “leaky pipeline” fuelled by structural and institutional barriers rather than differences in inventive potential.
The report can be downloaded here: