Hunt now on for Britain’s most creative, inventive or innovative women

Are you exceptionally creative when it comes to technology? Or do you know a woman that is? Britain’s top creative women will be celebrated at the upcoming 7th Annual British Female Inventors and Innovators Awards Ceremony in London on 21 February 2006.

There is a special award category aimed at Information Technology, Electronics and Communication (ITEC). This category was set up by the European funded project ’Equalitec – Advancing women in ITEC’ and aims to promote innovative solutions developed by women such as improvements in the ways in which data can be collected, managed, analysed and presented as part of work and decision-making.

Women have made a significant creative contribution to ITEC, which has not always been given the recognition it deserves. Their ideas and experience can bring new perspective on the directions in which ITEC technologies can advance and how they can be used. Elizabeth Pollitzer, Director of the Equalitec Project said “we aim to encourage women to apply their innovative and inventive capabilities in ITEC and related areas, and to celebrate their contributions by creating this new ITEC Award. I would urge as many women as possible to enter, and gain recognition for the excellent work they do”.

The innovations may be designed, for example, to improve the way retailers respond to customer preferences; doctors perform diagnostic tests; fashion designers create printed textiles or human resource managers evaluate demands for skills. The innovation may involve changes to the processes, or to a service, or to a product: from easier mobile working to a more effective way of measuring the internal temperature of the domestic fridge.

The ITEC Award was given for the first time in 2005, and the winner was Dr Akgun Ozkok for a novel Surgical Patient Information System. Dr Ozkok’s research on this new database system was done at University College London while she was a Daphne Jackson Fellow.

Daphne Jackson Fellowships enable talented scientists, engineers and technologists to return to their careers following a break.

Nominations for the awards are open to women who have created an innovative way to use ITEC, at work or as part of everyday life, or have created a new ITEC product or application. Nominations are welcome from individuals and organizations and the deadline for submission is 27th January 2006.

Notes

1. The Exhibition and Awards Ceremony will be held on 21 February 2006, at The Guildhall, London.

2. Awards are made in the following ten categories: The Inventor, The Innovator, Inventors/innovators in industry, Higher education and learning institutions, Young inventor/innovator, Product development, Information technology, electronics and communication (ITEC), Exceptional creative items, Capacity building initiatives or projects, and Chairman’s discretionaly special recognition

3. The Equalitec: Advancing Women in ITEC project is a partnership of key players: employers, professional bodies, and organisations working towards a more equal representation and involvement of women in science, engineering and technology. The lead partner is Portia. The project is funded in part from the European Social Fund, under the Equal Programme. The main goal of Equal is to help disadvantaged groups to participate more fully in the labour market.

4. The Daphne Jackson Trust is a charitable organisation that enables highly qualified and talented women and men to return to their careers in science, engineering and technology after a break. The Trust’s proven formula normally provides two year half-time Fellowships.

5. The Equalitec project aims to help women returners take advantage of employment opportunities by developing a new job-based training scheme. It has been set up and will be managed by the Daphne Jackson Trust, www.daphnejackson.org, from July 2005 – June 2007. The scheme will be open to women with a background in science, engineering technology or management, who have taken a career break, including currently unemployed women, who cannot find a job appropriate to their skills level or professional aspirations.