WIPO China: Uniting Women's Innovation for a New Chapter in Intellectual Property

On March 6, 2026, the Roundtable on Women Inventors, Scientists, and Entrepreneurs in the New Era was held in Beijing. The event was co-hosted by the China Association of Inventions (CAI) and the WIPO Office in China (WOC), bringing together shared reflections on women's innovative strength and pathways for IP protection. The roundtable was co-chaired by Ms. Liu Hua, Director of WOC, and Mr. Yu Huarong, Secretary-General of CAI.

In her opening remarks, Ms. Liu extended festival greetings to women across all walks of life, including inventors, scientists, and entrepreneurs. She noted that two waves of innovation - the "Digital Age" and "Deep Science" - are profoundly transforming how humanity produces, lives, and entertains, with frontier technologies such as artificial intelligence reshaping the global innovation ecosystem at an unprecedented pace. Since 2019, WIPO has held 12 sessions of the WIPO Conversation on IP and Frontier Technologies, facilitating global exchanges on the impact of frontier technologies such as AI on IP, and attracting over 14,000 participants from more than 170 countries. WIPO will also launch the Artificial Intelligence Infrastructure Interchange (AIII) initiative this March to promote global dialogue on the technical and operational aspects of IP systems in the AI context. Ms. Liu invited outstanding Chinese women scientists, inventors, and entrepreneurs to actively engage in these initiatives, contribute to international rule-making discussions, and offer Chinese solutions and wisdom.

Ms. Liu also introduced WIPO activities supporting women's innovation, notably the 2026 World IP Day Youth Video Competition and the Special Award for Best Woman Entrepreneur under the WIPO Global Awards, which provide a global platform to showcase women's creative achievements. She encouraged Chinese women to participate more actively in IP-related innovation and inject greater women's strength into the global innovation ecosystem.

Mr. Yu, Secretary-General of CAI, reaffirmed the association's commitment to bridging innovators with the wider world, strengthening cooperation with international institutions and organizations, and supporting innovators — including women inventors, scientists, and entrepreneurs — in their growth. He highlighted that through the National and International Invention Exhibitions, the Inventors' Forum, and various award programs, CAI actively recognizes female inventors and young innovators, enhancing China's international influence in invention and innovation.

Ms. Lin Liqin, Secretary of the Discipline Inspection Commission of China Centre for International Science and Technology Exchange of China Association for Science and Technology (CAST), introduced their efforts to support female researchers through award recognition, talent development, international exchanges, and platform building. She emphasized that women in science and technology have become a vital force in innovation and economic development, and called on society at large to invest greater attention in advancing women's scientific careers.
 

The roundtable brought together around 60 outstanding women representatives from government agencies, international organizations, research institutions, universities, enterprises, and media. Participants engaged in in-depth discussions and shared recommendations on women's innovative strength and IP protection. Representatives from government bodies, judicial authorities, and regulatory agencies - including the China National Intellectual Property Administration, the National Copyright Administration of China, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Beijing Intellectual Property Court, the Beijing Municipal People's Procuratorate, the Beijing Municipal Intellectual Property Office, and the Tianjin Copyright Bureau - shared insights on supporting women's innovation and strengthening IP protection, drawing on data analysis and judicial practices. Corporate representatives from CRRC, Tencent, Huawei, and Anta Group presented compelling cases highlighting women's vital contributions to technological innovation and IP creation. Scholars from Harbin Institute of Technology, Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, and China Strategy Institute for Intellectual Property shared research on the current landscape and pathways for women's participation in IP innovation and protection, and proposed policy recommendations to improve relevant systems. Media representatives from CGTN and Tianjin Haihe Media Center discussed how to leverage media platforms to spotlight women's innovation stories and raise awareness of copyright protection. International representatives, including those from the UN Resident Coordinator's Office in China, also attended and actively participated in the discussions.