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The women behind the ‘pioneering ideas’ will each receive a £50,000 government grant to develop their plans, many of which are in engineering sectors and tackle issues including climate change and recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.
The grants were announced today (8 March) by science minister Amanda Solloway, marking International Women’s Day and the start of British Science Week. Each of the Innovate UK Women in Innovation Awards recipients will also receive mentoring to scale up ideas and bring them to market.
The recipients include:
Natasha Boulding, Sphera
Sphera’s patent-pending technology transforms plastic waste – otherwise destined for landfill or incineration – into a ‘carbon negative’ aggregate for concrete and other construction materials.
Anja Stolte, Enable Manufacturing
Anja Stolte is combining the best of 3D printing with traditional casting to create high quality products at lower prices. Known as additive casting, the method manufactures complex metal parts by using industrial 3D printing to produce moulds, from which parts are cast ‘using virtually any kind of metal’. The technique eliminates the need for tooling and reportedly delivers ‘high quality and complex products at a lower cost than current techniques’.
Jacqueline Morrison, Cedeco
Through ‘micro-SME’ Cedeco, Morrison is leading a project to develop a mechanical alternative to grout for offshore wind developers. The work aims to cut the time and cost of installing jacket foundations for offshore turbines.
Samantha Bunyan, Cecence
Cecence is developing aeroplane interiors using eco-friendly materials. The furniture, which could be used in economy or business cabins, will be made from sustainable composite materials including natural fibres and recycled materials.
Other projects include Joan D’Arcy’s Plastic@Bay, which aims to convert ocean plastic waste into construction materials at sites around the coast, and Lise Pape’s Walk with Patch, which is developing a ‘smart’ insole to improve mobility for older people with conditions such as Parkinson’s.
Emily Nott, head of equality, diversity and inclusion at Innovate UK, said: “With 2020 proving to be an incredibly difficult year for everyone, and particularly women, continuing to support female entrepreneurs in 2021 has been a real priority for Innovate UK. We have had an enormous response and we can see some positives from the pandemic, with some of our shortlist inspired to start up a business in response to some of the challenges it has brought.
“Working alongside the winners, Innovate UK will help them grow further. We can’t wait to see what else these inspiring women achieve and how they can be an example to inspire the next generation, and to encourage more women-led businesses in this country as we rebuild and recover.”
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