In the UK, women represent around 27% of the core STEM workforce, well below the Western Europe average. Despite these challenges, the critical role women and girls play in science and technology is increasingly recognised, the Invest in Women Taskforce acknowledge that female entrepreneurs receive low levels of investment with men twice as likely to reach the investment committee stage making it far more challenging for women to make it through the investment pipeline. As such, the Invest in Women Taskforce is campaigning to put more capital into the hands of women to grow female powered businesses and strengthen the UK economy.
In honour of International Women’s Day and this year’s theme, #GiveToGain, Norwich Research Park is proud to celebrate the remarkable women on our campus who are leading innovation, discovery, and entrepreneurship. Every act of giving matters, whether it is sharing knowledge, offering mentorship, donating resources, advocating for others, or giving your time, each contribution can help women thrive. By supporting one another through education, visibility, and encouragement, we can build a stronger, more connected world.
Samantha Graham, Enterprise Network Manager, Anglia Innovation Partnership, who runs our enterprise programme, said “Of the 60 companies and teams I work with on the research park, 15 are female-led, and a consistent theme I hear from these founders is the importance of visibility. They want to see more women on panels, advisory boards and in leadership roles – people who reflect their own journeys and ambitions.
Many also speak about a pressure to prove themselves in a way I do not often hear from their male counterparts. This comes at a time when equity investment into fully female-founded businesses has fallen to below 2%, despite evidence showing that teams with women deliver stronger returns and greater capital efficiency.
Give to Gain feels particularly relevant in this context – by championing one another, sharing experience, and increasing representation, we can help shift both perception and opportunity for the next generation of women innovators.”
In this article, we share honest perspectives from inspiring women in our community, representing a diverse range of institutions and entrepreneurs involved in STEM. Their stories reflect the impact of collective support, offering insights into the ways we can all contribute to create a more inclusive future for women in STEM.
Dr Felicity Knowles, COO and Co-Founder of TraitSeq
1. What does the theme ‘Give to Gain’ mean to you personally and professionally?
It is important to have transparent conversations, recognising that the journey women face will include challenges, and that the most meaningful way to move forward in science and entrepreneurship is through advocacy, knowledge-sharing, and community to strengthen the ecosystem together.
What we gain is not just career advancement. We gain confidence, perspective, connection, and resilience. That is how we build momentum and foster an open community that recognises the value of diverse teams and create a positive pathway for the next generation.
I choose to pay it forward by supporting female founders earlier in their journey, signposting the resources, networks, and knowledge they need to build compelling business propositions. Just as importantly, I help them tackle self-doubt by reflecting their strengths and capabilities, often before they fully recognise them themselves. It is about combining practical support with belief, so they can move forward with conviction.
2. How have contributions from others impacted your journey as a scientist and entrepreneur?
There are two sides to this, and both are important to acknowledge.
On the one hand, there are barriers and moments of doubt that women must overcome. But those experiences do not define you. They shape you and you succeed despite them by building resilience and staying focused on what you are capable of.
On the other hand, it is important to identify the people that you can lean on for advice and support. That includes the advocates whose perspective and guidance are invaluable, alongside communities like Norwich Research Park Entrepreneurs Network and the Cambridge Female Founders Network.
3. Looking ahead, how do you hope to contribute to creating a more supportive and interconnected environment for women in your sector?
Building systems that support young women, starting in education, ensures they feel encouraged and can confidently see themselves in science and entrepreneurship. That is how we create a culture where women do not have to navigate these challenges alone, and where we can have honest conversations about what it really takes to succeed.
Support is not about ignoring obstacles. It is about ensuring women have the tools, networks, and confidence to excel and to go beyond what they originally thought was possible.
When women embrace their individuality and recognise the value of what they uniquely bring, it creates real momentum. When they stop trying to fit a mould and instead lean into who they are, they move with greater clarity and confidence. Community and advocacy are essential, but self-belief is the foundation that enables women to step forward and reach their full potential.
1. What does the theme ‘Give to Gain’ mean to you personally and professionally?
This year’s theme for International Women’s Day emphasises the power of reciprocity and support. At an institutional level, the Norwich Institute for Sustainable Development (NISD) emphasises the power of support, raising the voices of those who are less heard and partnering to integrate these voices into applied research design, action on the ground and policy engagement. Our Director, Professor Nitya Rao, has championed gender justice and women’s rights for three decades, and the NISD’s work reflects this deep understanding of gender and intersectional issues. In my professional life, I studied gender and social issues initially as an undergraduate with Professor Linda McDowell, and at UEA with Professors Nitya Rao and Cecile Jackson, so gender has been part of my understandings about institutional structures, power, agricultural and social development for decades, and I’ve seen this play out in all areas of my working life.
In terms of the Give to Gain theme this reciprocity and support between colleagues helps us solve our challenges creatively, find compromise and move forward together. These are especially welcome when timings and situations are pressured, and I appreciate the pragmatic helpfulness of my close colleagues and our external partners.
Within NISD we support interns in the summer months by offering Masters’ students the opportunity to work with us and our partners in active ongoing applied research projects in the UK and internationally. They support our work and gain valuable work experience in a reciprocal relationship. Last year’s RNAA/NISD scholar, Georgia Oliver, worked closely with us on our Norfolk Sustainable Farming systems initiatives whilst writing an excellent dissertation, and then undertook a comparative international visit to Poland. She was subsequently selected as one of 12 national winners of a prestigious scholarship from the Oxford Farming Conference including training and communications and leadership training across the country in the run up to the conference.
2. How have contributions from others impacted your journey as a scientist or entrepreneur?
The biggest contribution which we have benefitted from has been the financial support for the establishment of the Norwich Institute for Sustainable Development from the John Innes Foundation and the leadership by Professor Nitya Rao, gender justice expert. This has been supplemented by huge in-kind support from individuals and institutions across the Norwich Research Park, and we hope, have led to significant mutual reciprocal benefit and learning. This dedication to realising the vision of the NISD has been critical and allows us to support and embody the values of equity, participation and prioritising the voices of those less often heard in the design and execution of impactful research. Within the NISD team, Prof Nitya Rao has taken time to champion gender justice and gender equity in leadership, outreach and research, and working with her on a number of applied research projects has provided me with ongoing continual professional development and insight into the issues.
3. Looking ahead, how do you hope to contribute to creating a more supportive and interconnected environment for women in your sector?
The challenge is to champion and maintain support for both women and men when the external and wider global situation feels significantly more unsettling than a decade ago. In sectors that are now leaner, there may be fewer resources directly available, and in these situations, I would hope we will all contribute through listening, understanding, signposting, and helping to find creative solutions.
Dr Alicia Showering, CEO & Co-founder of BugBiome
1. What does the theme ‘Give to Gain’ mean to you personally and professionally?
I would not say I give to gain, however I do believe that what goes around comes around and as such honouring the people who gave me the opportunities during my career means that I am keen to pay it forward which could include support and hosting interns wherever possible.
I try and give work experience and advice to others, I am not sure whether that has a direct alignment in advancement of their careers or research, however I have seen their confidence build, and thinking more about what they want from careers, whether a PhD or starting a business.
2. How have contributions from others impacted your journey as a scientist or entrepreneur?
I would not have been able to complete my MSc or PhD without Medical Research Council funding or the flexible funding pot that was available to do extra training in concepts like microbial statistics or entrepreneurship, other founders giving their time as well has been key to starting a company and keeping moving forward.
3. Looking ahead, how do you hope to contribute to creating a more supportive and interconnected environment for women in your sector?
Quite simply, try to be honest about the realities of entrepreneurship and give students opportunities to gain work experience.
Concluding thoughts:
Roz Bird, CEO of Anglia Innovation Partnership, the campus management company for Norwich Research Park, said, “Advancing women’s participation and leadership in STEM requires not just individual determination, but systemic change in education and in the workplace. By featuring the experiences of successful female entrepreneurs and leaders, on campus, we hope to inspire others. On this International Women’s Day, we should consider how to move beyond celebration and commit to concrete actions that empower more women to lead, innovate, and thrive in STEM”.
Alongside the celebration of women in STEM, the Anglia Innovation Partnership’s School Engagement Programme introduces students to the wide variety of career paths, available at the research park, from scientific research and entrepreneurship, legal, finance and marketing to administration, facilities management and construction. The programme is designed to help young people discover opportunities to contribute to and thrive within our thriving community.
