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FEMALE INVENTORS IN INDUSTRY TO BE HONOURED IN INVENTION AWARDS
Added: (Wed Aug 22 2001)
The British Female Inventor of the Year Award 2002 is launching with a new category devoted to women working in research & development departments.
The new category, Female Inventors in Industry, has been incorporated into the Patent Office sponsored awards to recognise the significant roles women inventors in industry play in developing groundbreaking inventions. The award is seen as an opportunity to celebrate these women and encourage more female students to consider science, engineering and technology careers.
Founder of the awards, Bola Olabisi of the Professional Family Woman’s Network says: “We want to provide more role models for young females. Our hope is that women who succeed in this new category will inspire the younger generation to follow in their footsteps and work in industry.”
Independent female inventors can enter the British Female Inventor of the Year and Female Innovator of the Year. Young female students aged between 5- and 18-years old will also be able to enter the Young Female Inventor of the Year.
Melvyn Rees of The Patent Office says: “As universities are being encouraged to forge more links with business and set up opportunities for exchanging technology, it is important that we provide a steady flow of young creative people to increase competitive ideas. By giving young women a taste of innovation success while they are studying, we hope to ensure that more of them will be involved later.”
Successful inventors in the awards, who will be competing for a share of £20,000 worth of prizes, will have to show that their inventions are commercial, original and inventive. The closing date is 9 November 2001. The winners will be announced on 7 February at the British Female Inventor of the Year (BFIY) Award 2002 event at Café Royal. For details of how to enter, please see the British Female Inventor of the Year website www.bfiy.com or write to British Female Inventor of the Year, PFWN, 4 Waverley Gardens, Barking, Essex IG11 0BG.
For more information about how to protect intellectual property, please see The Patent Office website at www.patent.gov.uk or contact the Patent Office Central Enquiry Unit on 08459 500505.
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Issued by Prowse & Co on behalf of The Patent Office.
For more press information, please contact:
Deborah Fields at Prowse & Company on 01372 363 386.
Editor’s Notes
The British Female Inventor of the Year is awarded to an inventor who has come up with an original idea.
The British Female Innovator is awarded to an inventor who has already started to market their product to potential buyers or licensees.
The winner of the British Female Inventor of the Year 2001 was Clare Newton with the Cuptake cupholder.
The Female Innovator 2001 category was won by Ann Kritzinger with the Doubleback Multiple Copy Short-Run Bookbinding machine.
The Young Female Inventor of the Year 2001 was won by Damini Kumar for her Non-Drip Spout for teapots and other pouring vessels.
News release is available online at http://www.prowse.co.uk/newsf.html
22 August 2001