- The Innovate UK Women in Innovation Awards is celebrating 50 women leading the charge in groundbreaking industries - from revolutionary peat-free farming solutions, to continuous green electricity, to an AI-powered platform that streamlines allergy management in schools.
This year’s winners, from Edinburgh to Southampton and Cardiff to Belfast, are tackling critical social, environmental and economic challenges, creating a robust pipeline of women-led businesses for future investment. Each will receive a £75,000 grant, personalised business coaching, and access to networking, role modelling and training opportunities.
Research highlights significant hurdles for women entrepreneurs, including access to funding, and a lack of networks and visible role models. The Innovate UK Women in Innovation Awards address these issues, enabling women innovators to scale their businesses, whilst making a powerful impact on our economy and society.
Spanning digital health, legal tech, sustainable fashion, financial inclusion, and more, the diverse winners recognised today showcase remarkable ingenuity and impact.
- Sian Fussell, Albotherm: Developing responsive glass coatings that regulate temperatures in buildings and greenhouses without electricity. These coatings transition from transparent to reflective-white as temperatures rise, potentially cutting global electricity use by 3% and boosting greenhouse crop yields by 34%.
- Jane Pearce, Rookwood Operations: Tackling environmental challenges by recovering and reusing phosphate. While essential for plant growth, excess phosphate in waterways causes harmful algae blooms and contamination. Rookwood’s materials absorb phosphate from problem areas, enabling its reuse on farmland and restoring a healthy environmental balance.
- Divya Varma, BirthGlide: Developing medical devices to improve childbirth safety. In the UK, 30% of new mothers require an assisted vaginal birth (forceps or ventouse). BirthGlide’s affordable, easy-to-use device aims to reduce these emergencies, lowering hospital costs, preventing trauma, and saving lives.
- Dini McGrath, The Wonki Collective: Developing the world’s first B2B food matchmaking platform, helping manufacturers track and redistribute surplus ingredients. With UK food and drink waste accounting for 18 million tonnes of CO2, her platform aims to cut 180,000 tonnes of this by 2026, equivalent to removing 40,000 cars from UK roads.
Since launching in 2016, the Innovate UK Women in Innovation Awards have invested over £11 million in 200 women innovators and has built a vibrant community of over 10,500 women business leaders.
The awards continue to champion high-potential women business leaders from diverse backgrounds: 36% of the winners are from ethnic minority groups (excluding white minorities); 22% have long term conditions, illnesses or disabilities; and 50% have caring or parental responsibilities.
Recent data across all Innovate UK competitions shows that 1 in 3 successful grant applications are now led by women, a significant jump from 1 in 7 when Women in Innovation was first launched.
Emily Nott, Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at Innovate UK, said:
“Innovate UK’s Women in Innovation Awards spotlight the UK’s most groundbreaking women entrepreneurs. This year’s winners have shown incredible leadership and creativity. We’re thrilled to support them in scaling their businesses and inspiring the next wave of women innovators. Their success stories will undoubtedly pave the way for more women to enter and thrive in the world of innovation.”
Dr Stella Peace, Interim Executive Chair of Innovate UK, said:
“The Women in Innovation programme is a powerful catalyst for change, not just for the brilliant women entrepreneurs it supports, but for the entire UK innovation landscape. By breaking down barriers and amplifying diverse voices, Innovate UK are fostering a more inclusive and dynamic ecosystem that drives progress across all sectors. This programme is about more than funding – it’s about creating role models, building networks, and inspiring the next generation of women innovators to dream big and transform our world.’
Previous Women in Innovation Award winners have gone on to achieve remarkable success, including securing multi-million pound investments, expanding their operations, winning prestigious industry and royal awards, entering international markets, and forging high-profile partnerships with organisations such as Google, Disney and the NHS.
Explore all 50 of the remarkable award winners and discover how you could benefit from the programme by searching ‘Innovate UK Women in Innovation’ or visiting: bit.ly/IUKWomenInnovate
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