Discovery Park, Kent’s thriving life science community, is marking International Women’s Day on Friday 8 March with events dedicated to supporting women in business and tackling gender bias in healthcare.
With female-founded startups still struggling to access funding and a lack of women investors, there remains much to do to create an equitable environment for women in business.
The femtech industry is a clear example of this gender bias, with male femtech founders consistently raising more capital despite over 70% of femtech companies being founded by women.
Less than a quarter of all UK female-led companies accessed external capital in 2022/2023. Building a supportive network and demonstrating the success of women in these industries is vital to overcome these challenges.
To share stories of success, build connections and discuss potential solutions to the obstacles that remain, Discovery Park will host a morning full of talks and panel discussions on International Women’s Day (8 March), featuring a line-up of innovative women at all stages of their careers.
From breaking barriers to fostering innovation, the discussions will touch upon various aspects of business navigation and leadership. This is a free event and is open to all interested in driving positive change.
The event will be opened by Jane Kennedy, chief business officer of Discovery Park, followed by two keynote speeches from Laura Bloomfield, global head of TELUS International, on ‘Leading the way: A CEO’s Inspirational Journey’, and Vineeta Tripathi, founder of Vitarka Therapeutics, on the ‘Inspiring Journey of Female Founder’.
It will also include a panel discussion on ‘Leadership, Diversity and Business Insights’, and a fireside chat on the ‘Challenges & Opportunities in Entrepreneurship’ with Julie Richards, head of Assay Development, Psyros.
The day will feature the inaugural presentation of the Discovery Park Inspirational Women Awards, showcasing inspiring women as chosen by the Discovery Park community.
To reserve your place and access the full agenda, click here.
As well as disparities in business, the gender health gap is still hindering women’s access to healthcare. A combination of a lack of understanding of women’s physiology and a lack of clinical trial data is resulting in worse treatment outcomes. Alarmingly, the UK has the largest gender health gap in the G20.
This gap will not be closed without a concerted, collaborative effort. Making up 51% of our population, women offer a multitude of ideas and expertise to build a more equitable society.
To champion this, Discovery Park is partnering with NHS Kent and Medway, Kent and Medway Medical School and Health Innovation Kent, Surrey and Sussex to host Kent & Medway Women’s Health Innovation Summit on 6 March.
This event will bring together clinicians, patients, students, academics, innovators and system partners from across the Kent & Medway health community who are dedicated to revolutionising women’s health through innovation, leadership, inclusivity and systemic change.
This event will be held in the Pears Building at the Kent and Medway Medical School from 12pm to 4:30pm.
For more information, click here.
