WE Innovate
The development of world-class talent in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is essential to the economic success of any nation. The Althea Foundation and Imperial College London understand that promoting a diverse scientific community is necessary to realize this objective. Women entrepreneurs in STEM jobs can earn between 30-40 percent more than those in non-STEM occupations. And STEM careers offer women the opportunity to innovate and create in a wide range of professional fields.
Women make up nearly half of the students enrolled in science and engineering programs in British universities, but they still lag behind men in patenting inventions and in starting their own businesses. The Althea Foundation has partnered with Imperial College London to create an annual award that will honor innovations by promising female students in STEM.
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Winner of WE Innovate 2017, Dr Olivia Ahn, a Medicine student at Imperial, was awarded the prize for her idea to create a water-dispersible sanitary pad. Now, Olivia is CTO of Planera, the world’s first certified flushable sanitary products.
In 2020, Green Beads, founded by Lu Ai from the Department of Chemical Engineering, won the £15,000 top prize for developing a sustainable product that could replace harmful microplastics often found in toiletries, paint and detergent.