MUNICH - The Hague and Munich respectively, the European Patent Office (EPO) joined forces with local schools and partner organizations to welcome a combined total of over 200 girls to our premises, in celebration of Girls’ Day. This marks the sixth consecutive year that we have participated in this international initiative, which aims to inspire girls to pursue careers in traditionally male-dominated fields, a press release stated by EPO. 

Bringing together technology and creativity, the workshops and presentations gave the young learners, aged 11 to 14, the opportunity to develop their problem-solving skills, build their confidence and imagine new career paths for themselves. In both The Hague and Munich, our CSO Roberta Romano-Götsch welcomed the girls with some inspiring words before they participated in a ‘Meet an inventor’ session with 2014 European Inventor Award finalist Carmen Borja. The girls in Munich also received an exciting presentation by the European Southern Observatory (ESO) entitled ‘The Sky is not the Limit’, while those in The Hague enjoyed a presentation on geothermal energy production by the Energy Cave.   

These two events highlight the diversity of our communities, while also reflecting the EPO’s commitment to achieving its diversity and inclusion objectives and contributing to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs).

By empowering young girls to pursue scientific and inventive activities, we hope to increase the number of female examiners, inventors and STEM professionals in the years to come. Together with our local partners, we will continue working to break down barriers, cultivating an innovation landscape that is open and welcoming to all.