Nine Female Led Businesses Receive Innovation Support

Backing for 9 of the UK’s most innovative female-led businesses, was announced by Innovate UK on March 8th, - International Women’s Day- as part of its campaign to help women achieve their business ambitions.

The 9 entrepreneurs will receive £50,000 business funding and a package of bespoke support to help grow their business and boost the UK economy. To further inspire future innovators and celebrate the winners’ achievements, Innovate UK has partnered with schools across the UK to install commemorative purple plaques.

Business Secretary Greg Clark, said:

“The winning women are developing pioneering innovations to tackle the grand challenges we face as a society, from a new paper coating to cut down single use plastic, to helping us train mechanics using simulators.This is our modern Industrial Strategy in action, backing businesses of all sizes across the UK to grow and boost the economy with the skills and inventions we need for the next generation.”

Dr Ian Campbell, Interim Chief Executive of Innovate UK, 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 and far-reaching change.”

Amongst the award winners were:

Alex Haslehurst, Vitrue Health – developing a tool to help clinicians assess patient health, particularly motor function, more efficiently

Dr Debbie Wake, MyWay Digital Health – a digital platform that provides diabetes patients with personalised advice using patient information and home-recorded data

Dolores Sanders, Total Control Pro Ltd – using big data-sharing to streamline small businesses’ manufacturing processes

Dr Fanya Ismail, Sol-Gel Coatings and Advanced Materials – using a ‘sol-gel’ chemical process to create plastic-free coffee cup coating