The British High Commission, Singapore committed to a new #GenderPledge, as part of a social media campaign to raise awareness about gender equality on IWD2019.
New national space funding worth £7 million will ensure UK scientists play a leading role in a new space weather mission, the Science Minister Chris Skidmore announced on the first day of British Science Week (8 March).
Pioneering female inventors have been awarded funding and business support to develop and grow their business
More young women will be encouraged to embark on a career at sea thanks to new funding announced on International Women’s Day (8 March 2019) by Maritime Minister Nusrat Ghani.
Educational charity, the 1851 Trust, has been given £100,000 by the Department for Transport, to support the promotion of maritime careers.
This funding will go towards 10 roadshows around the UK where girls, aged 11 to 14, can speak to women already working in the sector about the full breadth of careers available before they make their GCSE choices.
Maritime Minister Nusrat Ghani said:
I am determined to ensure that the great career opportunities in the maritime industry are open to everyone, no matter their gender.
This International Women’s Day, I am delighted to support the 1851 Trust in linking up 1,500 young women with female role models and inspire them to consider a life at sea or on shore.
Having seen the work the Trust does encouraging young people to consider maritime careers, I am confident this series of roadshows will inspire and provide plenty of food for thought about the breadth of possibilities available in the industry.
The 1851 Trust, based in Portsmouth and the official charity of INEOS TEAM UK, is working to challenge young people’s perceptions of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) subjects and encourage them to choose these subjects in their studies.
Through their close links with the British Challenger for the 36th America’s Cup led by four-time Olympic gold medallist Sir Ben Ainslie, the charity uses professional sailing to get more young people excited about STEM careers.
Sir Ben Ainslie, Patron 1851 Trust & Team Principal INEOS TEAM UK, said:
We launched the 1851 Trust in 2014 as the Official Charity of the British America’s Cup Team with the aspiration to inspire young people about the cutting edge technology and innovation behind the campaign.
The work the Trust does to showcase STEM in such an exciting and positive light, in particular with girls, is fantastic and much needed. To now be delivering a nationwide STEM programme for the Department for Transport is testament to their high quality education offering.
As a professional sports team, we truly hope to inspire not just the next generation of America’s Cup sailors, but engineers and innovators alike.
Today’s funding announcement follows the launch of Maritime 2050, which sets out the long-term vision for the future of the UK maritime sector. The department is also represented on the Women in Maritime Taskforce, a joint initiative between government and industry, to promote STEM among young women and address gender balance in the maritime sector.
Pioneering female inventors have been recognised today for innovations including responsive wheelchair seating and a new digital app for diabetes as part of the 2019 Women in Innovation Awards.
The Awards, announced on International Women’s Day by Business Secretary Greg Clark, follows a search for female innovators who are tackling some of the biggest challenges facing society as set out in the government’s modern Industrial Strategy.
The winners will receive £50,000 each and a year-long package of bespoke support, coaching and mentoring.
The winners being awarded funding include:
Business Secretary Greg Clark said:
I would like to congratulate all these women on developing inspiring and pioneering innovations to tackle the grand challenges we face as a society, from a new waterproof coating to cut down single use plastic, to helping us train mechanics with simulators.
This is our modern Industrial Strategy in action, backing the innovators and businesses of all sizes across the UK to grow – and develop the products, industries and sectors of tomorrow, boosting the UK economy with the skills and inventions we will need for the next generation.
Marking the outstanding contributions to innovation, Innovate UK has commissioned and installed commemorative plaques recognising each of the award holders where their innovation journey began, to inspire young innovators and communities alike.
Innovate UK Executive Chair Dr Ian Campbell said:
Innovate UK’s Women in Innovation Awards address a key barrier for diversity in innovation – a lack of female role models. By recognising their achievement with purple plaques, we are making sure that our 9 newly crowned winners inspire the next generation of female innovators.
Whether it’s inspiring young students showing a passion for STEM, someone with the spark of an idea, or an innovative business ready to be taken to the next level, the Women in Innovation 2019 campaign aims to drive long term, far reaching positive change.
Supporting female innovators is a key commitment of Innovate UK, and registrations for funding from female innovators on existing competitions have increased by 70% since 2016.
Previous winners have gone on to become ambassadors for Prince’s Trust and develop breakthrough innovations. These include:
This announcement comes on the first day of British Science Week 2019.
Research suggests that the proportion of UK women engaging in entrepreneurial activity is around half the level of men and that if participation was increased to equal levels, women-led SMEs could potentially contribute £180 billion to the UK economy by 2025.