From converting the use of synthetics to wool in aquafarming for more healthier shores to a unique community-led digital training platform for health and social care professionals, Innovate UK’s Women in Innovation Awards will empower three pioneering women from Yorkshire and the Humber to scale their innovative businesses.
These three women entrepreneurs are amongst this year’s 50 winners of Innovate UK’s Women in Innovation Awards who are developing novel solutions to major social, environmental and economic challenges. Each winner will benefit from a £50,000 grant, one-to-one business coaching, and a suite of networking, role modelling, and training opportunities.
Coinciding with International Women’s Day (Wednesday 8 March), the Awards reflect the government’s ambition to give more support to women innovators and business leaders.
The range of innovations from across the UK are vast, from health tech to education and from protecting lives to new ways to play music. The entrepreneurs from Yorkshire and the Humber are recognised today on International Women’s Day which is encouraging people to “embrace equity.” They are:
- Kirsty Smitten, from Sheffield, is a Forbes 30 Under 30 and Sheffield University’s Turner Prize awardee who developed a new game-changing class of antibiotics with her company MetalloBio that will prevent and treat bacterial infection. Fuelled by seeing the negative effects of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) on her family members and closest friend, Kirsty is determined to stem AMR’s rapid rise, which currently contributes to 1.2 million deaths globally.
- Katherine (Kate) Drury, from West Yorkshire, founder of Sustainable Rope, who aims to convert marine and aquafarming to using 100% wool rope as a viable natural fibre alternative to synthetics which are causing significant ecological problems in our rivers and seas.
- Tammy Banks, from York, founder of Taye Training, who, after a complex childhood and spending her teenage years homeless, has designed an experiential, community-led training programme and first of its kind qualification for trainers of health and social care professionals that ensures their training is consistently impactful and relevant.
The flagship Women in Innovation Awards is a key part of Innovate UK’s commitment to boosting the number of women entrepreneurs. Innovate UK will give all 50 trailblazers £50,000 and bespoke mentoring and coaching to enable them to scale-up their businesses.
Now in its sixth year, the competition drew a record number of 920 applications from women business leaders, 10% up from last year, reflecting the growing number of women-led businesses in the UK (according to the Rose Review Progress Report 2023, 20% of all UK businesses are now led by all-women teams).
Innovate UK’s Women in Innovation programme continues to support high-potential women business leaders from diverse backgrounds. With a passion to support underrepresented innovation talent, 22% of the winners are Black, Asian, or from another ethnic minority group and 12% have identified as disabled.
Emily Nott, Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Programmes at Innovate UK, said: “Each year I am blown away by the brilliant ideas and talent we uncover through our Women in Innovation programme. Despite these challenging economic times, this year’s winners have shown great leadership, passion and resilience in driving their innovations forward.
“Innovate UK will work alongside them now to ensure they have the resources and support required to grow and scale their businesses, while encouraging a new generation of women to get involved in innovation, pursue their ambitions and transform our economy and society.”
Indro Mukerjee, CEO of Innovate UK, said: “The Innovate UK Women in Innovation programme is an important part of our many activities to make a real difference to the talent and skills pipeline for UK business innovation by inspiring, involving and investing in greater diversity. I warmly congratulate all the Women in Innovation Award winners and look forward to keeping in touch as they progress.”
