The finalists of this year's British Female Inventors and Innovators Awards have been revealed.
The awards, to be held on 16-17 February, will provide a platform for budding entrepreneurs to bring their inventions into the public domain in order to attract investors.
Now in its sixth year, the event, to be held in Greenwich, is organized by the Global Women Inventors and Innovators Network (GWIIN), with support from bodies including the Department of Work and Pensions (DTI).
A total of 50 entrants will be displaying their weird and wonderful inventions, including a pushchair that folds into a backpack, an eco-friendly liquid compost heap and boxer shorts incorporating space-age technology.
The inventions will be showcased in public for the first time since the event was held in 1998, giving prospective investors the opportunity to view the products first hand.
Bola Olabisi, founder of the BFIIN and Managing Director of GWIIN, said: "Women are the world's natural innovators - many of them tend to solve problems they find, rather than find problems to solve. We hope that this year's event will build on success and bring a new surge of commercially viable ideas to market."
A key theme of the event will be the role of universities and government agencies in helping to develop and promote innovation. Key speakers will include David Train, international trade director at UK Trade and Investment and Patrick Robison, director of innovation strategy at the DTI.
Tessa Blackstone, Vice Chancellor of the University of Greenwich, said: “Education, innovation and enterprise go together. Universities have a great deal of expertise and excellent facilities to help investors develop their ideas.”
In related news, the Patent Office recently released a guidance booklet for inventors looking to keep their ideas a secret. The booklet provides advice on patents and trademarks, as well as guidance on how to draft a Confidentiality Disclosure Agreement.
To download the booklet, visit www.patent.gov.uk/patent/info/cda.pdf
