Women with potential to be successful entrepreneurs and leaders in innovation can apply for support and funding to help them to succeed.

Innovate UK has up to £200,000 and a package of tailored support to award to businesswomen who have exciting ideas and the potential to become leaders in innovation and deliver significant economic growth.

This is the first women only Innovate UK competition and is part of a new ‘infocus’ initiative to encourage diversity in innovation.

Each of the 12 finalists in the competition will receive a package of support tailored to their needs, and the four winners will each receive £50,000 to support their innovation project or activities.

Awards will be spread across the four sector areas supported by Innovate UK:

• manufacturing and materials
• infrastructure systems
• emerging and enabling technologies
• health and life sciences

The package of support includes introductions to investors, communications training, advice on intellectual property, training on business models,guidance on funding programmes, advice on market opportunities and introductions to contacts in relevant industrial sectors.

Competition information

• the competition opens on 1 June 2016 and the deadline for registration is noon on 24 August 2016
• the awards are open to any woman in the UK working in business innovation in any of Innovate UK’s four sectors
• applicants can be a company owner, employee or sole trader in any size of business and must be legally and contractually able to use the grant funding on offer
• a briefing for potential applicants will be held on 20 June 2016

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