WIPO China：Celebrating the Achievements of Women Innovators, Highlighting the Power of Women in the New Era

On March 6, 2025, the "Roundtable on Women Inventors, Scientists, and Entrepreneurs in the New Era" was held in Beijing. Co-hosted by the WIPO Office in China（WOC） and the China Association of Inventions (CAI), the event celebrated the remarkable achievements of women in innovation, creativity, and intellectual property, while exploring how women can further leverage their innovative potential to drive high-quality development and sustainable development goals in the new era.

 

Liu Hua: Women Are Pillars of Global Innovation and Development

In her opening remarks, Ms. Liu Hua, Director of the WOC, emphasized that the world is undergoing unprecedented changes, driven by two major waves of innovation — the "Digital Age" and "Deep Science" — which are reshaping the global landscape. She highlighted China's pivotal role in the global innovation ecosystem, noting significant achievements: China has ranked first in PCT patent applications for several consecutive years, reaching nearly 70,000 filings in 2024; ranking first globally in industrial design applications with 4,868 filings; securing third place in Madrid System trademark applications; and leading the world with 26 top science and technology clusters since 2023.

Ms. Liu underscored the growing role of Chinese women in innovation, revealing that female inventors accounted for 24.4% of PCT patent applications in 2023, significantly exceeding the global average of 17.7%. She emphasized that women are indispensable to global innovation and outlined WIPO's four key initiatives to empower women:

1. Telling the Stories of Chinese Women in IP: Leveraging platforms like World IP Day to enhance the visibility of female innovators;

2. Strengthening Collaboration with Chinese Women: Encouraging female entrepreneurs to participate in initiatives such as the WIPO Conversation on IP and Frontier Technologies, promoting Chinese technologies and women-led innovation globally;

3. Enhancing Platform Services and Policy Support: Facilitating women's entrepreneurial success through AI-driven IP services, Technology and Innovation Support Centers (TISCs), and WIPO GREEN, a sustainable technology exchange platform;

4. Positioning IP as a Policy Tool: Providing comprehensive support to women entrepreneurs to enhance business competitiveness and influence.

In celebration of International Women’s Day, Ms. Liu announced that the WIPO Academy is offering a 100% discount on its advanced IP eLearning courses to all women applicants, aiming to eliminate barriers to women's participation in IP education and further advance gender equality and innovation in science and technology.

Yu Huarong: Supporting Women's Growth in Science and Technology

Mr. Yu Huarong, Executive Vice President and Secretary General of the CAI, extended a warm welcome to the attendees. He emphasized that China's scientific and technological innovation has entered a new phase and reaffirmed the CAI's commitment to supporting women's growth and development in the field.

Voices of Participants

At the roundtable, female experts and professionals from diverse fields shared their insights and experiences in innovation.

Ms. Zhang Lingling, Judge at the Third Civil Division of the Supreme People’s Court, noted that women have always played a unique and remarkable role in innovation, with Chinese women today demonstrating exceptional creative potential. However, she acknowledged that women globally still face challenges such as limited access to financing and underrepresentation in leadership roles. She emphasized the critical role of the legal system in safeguarding innovation, highlighting the Supreme People’s Court’s efforts to combat infringement and issue judicial guidelines on technological innovation.

Ms. Wang Aijie, Professor at Harbin Institute of Technology, is a recipient of the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars, a Distinguished Professor under the Changjiang Scholars Program, a Leading Talent in China’s National High-Level Talents Special Support Plan (Ten Thousand Talents Program), and the head of an Innovation Research Group funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China. She is also a Distinguished Fellow of the International Water Association (IWA), as well as a fellow of the CAI. She shared her research achievements in sustainable water purification and risk management. She emphasized that water is fundamental to sustainable development and that environmental health is closely linked to human well-being. As China strives toward its 2035 vision of ecological sustainability, she called for leveraging technologies like artificial intelligence to study emerging pollutants such as microplastics. She also advocated for establishing more women-led organizations to promote interdisciplinary collaboration and public awareness of environmental health.

Ms. Zeng Yanni, President of China Intellectual Property News (CIPN), highlighted the remarkable achievements of Chinese women in IP, with female inventors accounting for 40% of patent applicants, far exceeding the global average. She noted that women make up over 60% of the workforce at the China National Intellectual Property Administration, reflecting the industry’s commitment to gender equality. She emphasized CIPN’s efforts to showcase Chinese women’s innovative contributions through initiatives like the Foreign Affairs Studio and the English-language special edition “IP for Her,” inspiring women in developing countries.

Ms. Wang Meiyun, Vice President of Henan Provincial People's Hospital, is a postdoctoral fellow of Harvard Medical School and a visiting professor at Yale School of Medicine. She is the first Chinese radiologist to be elected as a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE), a recipient of the inaugural National Outstanding Physician Award, and the winner of the 2023 WIPO Best Female Inventor Award. In her speech, she shared her team’s breakthroughs in diagnosing and treating neuropsychiatric disorders, including depression, autism, Parkinson’s disease, and Alzheimer’s disease. She highlighted their advancements in image-guided, non-invasive precision therapies, which have helped patients alleviate symptoms and reduce the burden on families and society. With over 1.2 billion people worldwide affected by neuropsychiatric disorders, she emphasized that their innovations bring new hope to patients across the globe.

Ms. Gong Qin, Professor at Tsinghua University, is the recipient of the 2024 WIPO Best Female Inventor Award and serves as the Chief Scientist for two hearing medical device companies. She highlighted her team’s advancements in auditory assessment, rehabilitation, and cognitive engineering. Leveraging artificial intelligence and big data, they developed the world’s first otoacoustic emission detector capable of quantitatively measuring hearing thresholds, providing accurate and convenient hearing assessments for both newborns and the elderly. Additionally, her team developed China’s first AI-driven hearing aid fitting system and an integrated tinnitus treatment device, alongside establishing the world’s largest tinnitus diagnosis and treatment database.

Ms. Wong Linda, Chairwoman of the Yihai Group Board of Directors, recounted her entrepreneurial journey. In 1989, she returned from Hong Kong to the mainland to participate in the reform and opening-up. As one of the first female entrepreneurs to return to China, she witnessed the rapid economic growth of the country. She emphasized that China has provided a vast stage for women, and women's wisdom is driving technological innovation and social progress. She introduced the contributions of Yihai Group in community development, education-based poverty alleviation, and international exchanges, and promised to continue deepening the integration of technology and industry to accelerate the commercialization of scientific achievements.

Ms. Li Mo, an associate professor at China Agricultural University, stated that the heightened health awareness in the post-pandemic era has brought new opportunities for functional food research. She pointed out that women are playing an increasingly prominent role in the food sector, particularly young women who need to pay more attention to health while balancing work and life pressures. She also emphasized that laboratory research should integrate artificial intelligence and big data analysis to accelerate the transformation and application of scientific research achievements.

Ms. Sun Xiaoyun, former Deputy Director General of the Supervision Service Center for Science and Technology Funds of the Ministry of Science and Technology, shared her experiences in scientific research financial management at the symposium. Drawing on her tenure on the audit and finance committees of international organizations, she highlighted the significant role of Chinese women on the global stage. She mentioned that the center is consistently dedicated to providing high-quality financial services to researchers and entrepreneurs, thereby facilitating the efficient conduct of scientific research.

Ms. Li Yan, General Manager of Zhongguancun Development Group, emphasized that innovation is the core driver of economic development, and the group is committed to walking alongside innovators. Through equity investment, debt financing, and science park services, the group provides comprehensive support to technology enterprises. She mentioned that to address challenges in the medical device industry, such as difficulties in transformation, approval, and market entry, the group has established a medical device industrial park in Daxing, offering full industrial chain services. She welcomed entrepreneurs and scientists to visit the park for exchanges and stated that the group would fully support the upcoming ZGC Forum.

Ms. Xing Yue, Vice President of Alibaba Group, stated that the achievements of Chinese women in the fields of technology and business are remarkable. She emphasized that in the new era of rapid development of large-scale models, the importance of open-source technology is becoming increasingly evident. Alibaba is committed to building a warm open-source platform that fosters cross-disciplinary expert collaboration to jointly address the uncertainties brought by future technological changes. She believes that AI applications are on the verge of explosive growth, which will fundamentally transform human-computer interaction, with natural language interaction becoming mainstream. Additionally, CAIoT (Conversational AI Internet of Things) technology will drive the deep integration of advanced manufacturing and AI. She pointed out that women exhibit unique advantages in the AI revolution, and their scenario insights and innovative capabilities will inject new vitality into AI development.

Ms. Wang Weiwei, Board Director and Senior Vice President of Perfect World Holding Group, as well as Board Director and CFO of iHuman, shared the company's innovative practices in the field of children's education. She pointed out that conceptual innovation and technological innovation complement each other, with AI technology providing vast opportunities for product innovation and driving comprehensive upgrades. She emphasized that business innovation and financial innovation are closely interconnected, and big data analysis helps companies accurately determine their development directions. Ms. Wang stated that women are playing an increasingly important role in innovation. Especially today, with the widespread application of AI, the segmentation of niche markets has become more pronounced. Women’s unique observational and perceptual abilities enable them to discover and create more opportunities in these niche markets. She firmly believes that women will play an even greater role in the new era of AI integration with all things.

Ms. Li Jing, Chairman of Foshan Yuehaixin Communications Co., Ltd., stated that technological innovation should not be constrained by gender, emphasizing that women's keen insight and resilient spirit are key to overcoming technical challenges. While deepening its expertise in traditional communication technologies, Yuehaixin Communications has actively ventured into cutting-edge fields, successfully developing and industrializing battery metamaterials integrated with communication technologies, with over 300 patents filed. Amid the wave of intelligent transformation, she introduced the practical concepts of "Her Vision," "Her Wisdom," and "Her Responsibility," highlighting that as AI technology advances, the emotional intelligence, computational capabilities, and ethical awareness unique to women will become increasingly vital.

Ms. Zhang Xiuwei, Assistant Vice President and Chief Brand Officer of GCL Group, highlighted the company's contributions to the green energy sector. She stated that GCL is committed to integrating green energy into daily life and promoting global sustainable development. The group has accumulated over 5,000 patents, with women making up 34% of the R&D team, playing a significant role in innovation. Ms. Zhang emphasized that while women's contributions to technological innovation are substantial, they are often overlooked. She aims to leverage social media and other channels to showcase GCL's technological achievements and the contributions of its female employees, further enhancing the company's international influence.

Ms. Cui Lingling, General Manager of the Patent Department at Baidu Group, remarked that the current era is at the forefront of explosive technological growth, with Baidu achieving remarkable results through years of dedication to the AI field. The company has led China in AI patent applications and grants for six consecutive years, particularly excelling in core technologies such as natural language processing and deep learning. Ms. Cui pointed out that Baidu upholds an engineer-driven culture, showing deep respect for innovators and intellectual property professionals. Using the company's patent wall and 25th-anniversary commemorative video as examples, she vividly demonstrated Baidu's steadfast commitment to innovation and intellectual property protection.

Ms. Zhang Chi, Board Director and General Manager of the China Strategy Institute for Intellectual Property, shared her experiences in providing intellectual property strategy consulting to leading enterprises. She highlighted the resilience of female decision-makers and their respect for intellectual property. Ms. Zhang expressed her hope to deepen collaboration with organizations such as the WOC and the CAI to build platforms that recognize and promote more innovative achievements by women, fostering harmonious coexistence and fully showcasing the power of women.

Ms. Mu Qin, Senior Manager of the Industry Standards Research Department at Xiaomi Group, shared the company's achievements in international mobile communication standard setting. She noted that Xiaomi ranks eighth globally in 5G standard essential patent filings, with female inventors making significant contributions and women comprising 50% of the department's engineers. Ms. Mu emphasized that in the era of intelligent and digital transformation, women's keen insight, divergent thinking, interdisciplinary innovation capabilities, and strong communication skills make them well-suited for developing intelligent tools and driving the inclusive application of technology. She highlighted that women's focus on social responsibility brings a humanistic perspective to innovation and firmly believes that women will play a crucial role and take on significant responsibilities in the intelligent era.

Ms. Chen Youran, a gender equality volunteer with UN Women, stated that UN Women is committed to integrating gender equality into national legal and policy frameworks, supporting the development of women's leadership in scientific research, and addressing structural barriers faced by women. She mentioned that the Chinese government has taken proactive measures, such as extending the age limit for women applying for research grants. UN Women has launched several collaborative projects in China, including promoting gender equality policy dialogue and implementation with the China Association for Women Scientists and supporting women's entrepreneurship development with the China Center for International Economic Exchanges. She affirmed that UN Women will continue to work with all stakeholders to tirelessly advance the goal of gender equality.

 

He Wei: Enhancing Women's Political Representation in Science

In her concluding remarks, Ms. He Wei, Deputy Director-General of the Department of International Cooperation at the China Association for Science and Technology (CAST), highlighted CAST's efforts to enhance women's political representation in science and technology. She noted initiatives such as establishing specialized committees, leveraging platforms within the National Committee of the CPPCC, and nominating Chinese scientists for roles in international organizations to promote gender equality in science.

 

The event was attended by approximately 60 participants, including government representatives, inventors, scientists, entrepreneurs, and media professionals.