EDI Guide: Nine Points to Consider for Fostering Greater Inclusion in Innovation

One of our goals at AUTM is to foster greater inclusion in innovation. We are committed to providing guidance to our members and the wider technology transfer community on important global issues. This episode is about one of the newest EDI guides, the Nine Points to Consider for Fostering Greater Inclusion in Innovation. I’m excited to discuss these new guidelines with Almesha Campbell, Jennifer Gottwald, and Jane Muir.

Almesha Campbell and Jennifer Gottwald are members of the AUTM Women Inventors’ Special Interest Group (WISIG). They also contributed to the creation of this report. 

Almesha L. Campbell, Ph.D., is the Assistant Vice President for Research and Economic Development at Jackson State University (JSU) and the Immediate Past Board Chair of AUTM. She is acknowledged for her dedication to innovation and research translation. She advocates for incorporating innovation and entrepreneurship into the faculty's tenure and promotion criteria.

Jennifer Gottwald is a Director of Licensing at the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF), where she has worked for over fifteen years. WARF manages the patenting and licensing for the University of Wisconsin – Madison (UW), the WiCell Research Institute, and the Morgridge Institute for Research. She is a founder and active member of the AUTM Women Inventors’ Special Interest Group (WISIG).

Jane Muir is recognized as a "Thought Leader" in innovation, with a remarkable 25-year career at the University of Florida specializing in technology commercialization and new venture creation. In 2017, she established Muir & Associates Consulting, providing strategic guidance to companies across the innovation lifecycle. 

Jane's expertise has made her a sought-after advisor, empowering businesses to achieve tangible results. Notably, she has served as the board chair of AUTM and was a founding member of the AUTM Women Inventors’ Special Interest Group (WISIG).

 

In This Episode:

[03:45] Jane explains how this document came about. It was inspired by a calendar of inventors that turned out to be all men. 

[05:13] When they decided to feature all women in the calendar, they had to lower the criteria because there weren't enough women inventors.

[05:40]  After many iterations, the AUTM board wanted to share this with leadership.

[06:54] How tech transfer offices can use this roadmap. It begins with engaging with women in tech transfer. We can have conversations about each point on campus. 

[08:38] Go through each point until you've made an impact in each area.

[09:14] Point 1 is about the lack of diversity and inclusion in all stages of the innovation life cycle. The first point is to acknowledge the lack of diversity in the innovation cycle.

[11:40] Point 2 is that greater inclusion of women and minorities in all phases of the innovation life cycle will ensure a greater diversity of products that address unmet needs that people from all backgrounds can benefit from.

[12:04] Look at the demographic background on campus and then have conversations about what the tech transfer office does.

[15:48] Point 3 Examples of biases and strategies that tech transfer offices can use to address these.

[16:54] We are always putting our own interpretation on what we hear.

[20:09] Point 4 It's very important to incorporate trainers that come from diverse backgrounds.

[21:37] Point 5 Encouraging participation of all faculty in innovation. Have recognition for the faculty that's innovating.

[26:55] Point 6 Why should efforts be made to ensure that all inventors are given the same level of service before, during and after the invention.

[28:32] Point 7 Equal consideration and support for all faculty. We need to be intentional about supporting everybody who could be an entrepreneur.

[31:43] Point 8 Programs should be considered that address the unmet needs and unique challenges faced by women and minorities in the technology commercialization process.

[32:00] We're not talking about giving any one group preference, we're talking about making sure that everybody has access.

[34:18] Point 9 Women and minorities need greater access to mentorship. How can tech transfer offices increase this access?

[35:29]  A lot of people need mentors. Creating a network of off-campus mentors could be very useful.

 

Resources: 

Nine Points to Consider for Fostering Greater Inclusion in Innovation

Almesha L. Campbell

Almesha L. Campbell LinkedIn

Jennifer Gottwald

Jennifer Gottwald LinkedIn

Jane Muir ITIF

Jane Muir LinkedIn

Project Implicit Unconscious Bias Test

The Inventor's Patent Academy