In Italy, the presence of women inventors in STEM fields continues to grow, albeit slowly. In 2022, it reached 14.7%, up from 13.8% in 2017 and slightly above the European average of 13.8%.
The trend is highlighted by the latest study from the European Patent Office (EPO) observatory, which shows gradual but still insufficient progress, with persistent gaps in deep tech entrepreneurship, patent-related professions, and postgraduate and doctoral pathways. Released ahead of International Women’s Day, the report provides valuable data for shaping European gender equality policies and the objectives of the European Research Area, emphasizing that strengthening technological sovereignty also requires greater female inclusion in high-innovation sectors.
Despite the increasing presence of women in inventor teams, women remain less often individual inventors, indicating that structural barriers are still present. Among European hubs for patent applications filed by women, Milan stands out as the only Italian city in the top 30 and ranks seventh in Europe. Between 2013 and 2022, the STEM women inventor rate increased from 16.1% to 19.1%, exceeding the national average by 4.4 points and confirming Milan as Italy’s main hub for female innovation.
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Startups and Patents
The gender gap remains particularly evident in the deep tech startup ecosystem that files patents. In Europe, only 10% of companies submitting applications to the EPO include at least one woman among the founders. In practical terms, for every female entrepreneur, there are about nine men in the same role.
In this context, Italy performs slightly better than the European average. The country ranks fourth in Europe for the share of women founding startups that request European patents, at 12.5%, behind Spain (19.2%), Portugal (15.7%), and Ireland (14.8%).
Overall, 17% of Italian startups founded by a team include at least one woman, while 9.1% are entirely female-led companies. Even accounting for sector, growth stage, and founders’ age groups, Italy maintains an advantage of about three percentage points over the European average.
At the continental level, however, an interesting dynamic emerges: younger startups show a higher share of female founders (14%) compared to 5.9% for companies older than twenty years. Yet, companies co-founded by women appear to face greater challenges during the expansion phase, with female representation tending to decline in later funding rounds.
Universities and Research
In Italy, women account for 39.3% of STEM graduates in 2023, placing the country 13th in Europe, but participation in patenting activities remains limited. Between 2011 and 2020, only 13.2% of women with STEM doctorates filed European patent applications, rising to 15.9% at the postdoctoral stage.
Milan confirms its role as a hub for female innovation: the University of Milan ranks 16th in Europe for female patents in the life sciences, the Politecnico di Milano ranks 16th during the doctoral phase and 6th at the post-doc stage, while the Politecnico di Torino is among the top twenty European institutions.
Sectors Where Women Patent the Most
Female participation varies significantly by technological sector. The highest shares of women inventors are in pharmaceuticals (34.9%), biotechnology (34.2%), and food chemistry (32.3%) — life sciences sectors where female research presence has historically been higher.
Conversely, several engineering sectors — despite concentrating a large number of patents — show the lowest percentages: machine tools (5.7%), basic communication processes (5.5%), and mechanical components (4.9%).
Universities and public research institutions remain the environments with the highest presence of women inventors (24.4%), while SMEs and individual inventors register significantly lower levels.
Finally, the study highlights encouraging signs in professions connected to the innovation system. In Europe, women now represent 29.2% of lawyers specialized in European patents, a steadily increasing share that helps strengthen efforts for greater diversity and inclusion in scientific and technological sectors.
