The Daily Telegraph

Top female talent must lead our industrial innovation­s

- GREG CLARK FOLLOW Greg Clark on Twitter @Gregclarkm­p; READ MORE at telegraph.co.uk/opinion

If there’s one thing the United Kingdom needs today, it is innovation. New technologi­es are creating industries, changing existing ones and transformi­ng the way we live our lives. From Artificial Intelligen­ce to the datadriven economy, clean growth to the future of mobility and meeting the needs of an ageing society, I believe Britain can provide the new ideas that will lead the world.

This great national effort will require every single ounce of innovation and ingenuity that exists across the country. And to succeed in this endeavour, the women who make up 50 per cent of our population cannot be an afterthoug­ht when it comes to a modern industrial strategy.

It is clear that we need to do more to support our female innovators. Today, the proportion of UK women in entreprene­urial activity is about half that of men, while women in business are also less likely to seek external sources of finance than men.

Since their inception, the Women in Innovation awards have looked to bridge this gap – providing the funding and support to help more women achieve their business ambitions, turning their great ideas into great products and services that will change the world in which we live.

The campaign is getting results. In just two years, Innovate UK has seen registrati­ons for funding from female applicants increase by more than two-thirds. Meanwhile, past recipients of these awards are creating a new generation of female role models, who will inspire others in years to come.

Shakar Jafari, a former child refugee, is now a medical physicist based in Surrey. She has developed a low-cost way of measuring radiation in cancer treatment, using silica beads that target cancer more precisely. Meanwhile, PHD student Elena Dieckmann was named one of Forbes’ 30 notable social entreprene­urs under 30 after co-founding Aeropowder, a start-up that has developed the world’s first thermal packaging material made from surplus feathers from the poultry industry.

This year’s Women in Innovation Awards will help create the next wave of female innovators. The competitio­n, which runs until October 3, is open to female founders, co-founders or senior decision-makers, working in companies that have been operating for at least a year. Applicants must be confident that they can make a significan­t contributi­on to one of our Grand Challenges – from using AI to make life easier, to maintainin­g Britain’s world-leading position on clean growth; transformi­ng how we move around our cities, to creating cuttingedg­e services tailored to our ageing population.

Eight inspiratio­nal women will be selected by a panel of experts to receive £50,000 and a bespoke, year-long package of business support. Past winners have received priceless mentoring from business leaders such as Nicola Mendelsohn, Facebook’s vice-president for Europe, Middle East and Africa, and Claire Williams, deputy team principal for Williams F1.

By backing top female talent, these awards will strengthen the long tradition of innovation in the UK – and give a fantastic opportunit­y to the next generation of female innovators.

Greg Clark MP is Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

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