SDG 9: innovation, intellectual property and gender equity

SDG 9 - ‘fostering innovation’ - commits governments to actions to incentivize and support scientific research, the development of new technologies, and innovative entrepreneurship. The ‘adequate, balanced and effective’ protection of intellectual property (IP) is a key element in supporting attainment of this and related SDGs, even though IP is not specifically mentioned in SDG 9. In this chapter, we study the Canadian approach to innovation through the country’s national and provincial innovation and IP strategies. These initiatives generally support the goals of SDG 9, but they do not specifically address the systemic barriers that exist for women inventors and entrepreneurs. Different policy mechanisms are required to achieve gender equity and an inclusive IP and innovation environment. These strategies must fully account for women’s lived experiences and must actively dismantle the structural impediments that prevent these inventors and entrepreneurs from fully participating in the IP system.

Section: The Elgar Companion to Intellectual Property and the Sustainable Development Goals