The Center for Socio-Economic Development and Support for Innovative Entrepreneurship (CDSESAI), in partnership with the State Agency on Intellectual Property of the Republic of Moldova (AGEPI), the Academy of Economic Studies of Moldova (ASEM), the DAS Solutions Company and GEN Moldova have conducted, on February 15, the Women Innovators Network Moldova Platform (WIN Moldova) launch event.

The WIN Moldova Platform aims to promote women from the Republic of Moldova, including the Transnistrian region, involved in research and innovation activities. “Through this project, we hope not only to identify and promote Moldova’s innovative women, but also to popularize STEM education among girls. At the same time, we want to stimulate and increase the participation of innovative women in international competitions and programs,” said Igor Plamadeala, president of CDSESAI, during the launch event.

AGEPI Director General Lilia Bolocan mentioned within the framework of the the event that there are currently no areas where women do not contribute to the creation of new knowledge, new revolutionary inventions designed to transform and improve the world. We have many examples of inventions that make our lives easier, for which humanity has to be grateful to women: the circular saw, the dishwasher, the windscreen wiper, the disposable diapers, the Gerovital remedy for “youth without old age”, etc. Even the beginning of the digital era was given by a woman!

Throughout the world, women inventors, designers and representatives of other creative professions contribute to the development of society. In the Republic of Moldova there are also women inventors who create, develop and exploit their inventions, and 12 of them have become winners of WIPO Gold Medal for Inventors, so we have something to be proud of and express all our admiration for them, said Mrs. Lilia Bolocan.

According to the statistical data held by AGEPI, in the period 1993-2018, in the Republic of Moldova, 4815 inventors have applied for the patenting of inventions to the AGEPI, of which 1420 (29.5%) are women. On the average, at least one woman inventor is indicated in 46% of patent applications filed.

Even more impressive is the participation of women in the activities related to the obtaining and patenting of new plant varieties: 51% of the breeders who filed patent applications for plant varieties with AGEPI are women and, on the average, at least one woman-breeder is indicated in 75% of patent applications for plant variety.

AGEPI Director General noted that not only patents but also other intellectual property objects are involved in the innovation process: industrial designs, trademarks, objects protected by copyright and related rights, presenting relevant statistical data on accessing the mechanisms for the protection of these objects by women in the Republic of Moldova and emphasized the importance of enforcing intellectual property rights in the development of an innovative business.

Innovations developed by women in the Republic of Moldova will be available on a single online platform, www.winmoldova.md. The site was developed under the WIN - Women Innovators Network project, funded by a grant from the United States Embassy in the Republic of Moldova.

The event was held at the Tekwill ICT Excellence Center.