The search is on for ten women in Yorkshire and Humber with great ideas to improve health and care.
The Springboard for Female Innovators in Health is a fully-funded programme to help women shape and develop their ideas into workable solutions.
Applications open on 3 September, as part of Health Innovation Yorkshire & Humber’s Women in Health Innovation & Technology (WHIT) initiative, sponsored by Amazon Web Services and Nexus.
Health Innovation Yorkshire & Humber Deputy Chief Executive Kathy Scott said:
Women continue to be under-represented in health innovation and entrepreneurship and we know this is not due to a lack of ideas or ambition.
There are systemic barriers and limited access to networks for many women; and shockingly, we find that less than two per cent of health-focused venture capital funding goes to female start-ups.
Our new Springboard programme is designed to help women to develop their ideas into marketable solutions, boosting their knowledge, confidence and connections in our innovation ecosystem – ultimately benefiting our population and local economy.
An innovator who has previously been supported by Health Innovation Yorkshire & Humber is Carly Walter, who developed an AI wellbeing platform for neurodivergent woman, to reduce the life expectancy gap of up to 20 years.
Carly took part in the organisation’s Propel HealthTech series of 10 master classes, plus mentoring and networking.
Carly said:
I gained a lot of confidence and support and it opened doors to meeting lots of great experts, some of whom are now on my advisory board.
I would urge women with ideas for a health innovation to take part in the Springboard programme – you will have access to fantastic expertise and networking and it could change your life and those of many others!
Applicants should:
Have a strong problem statement rooted in a health or care need
Demonstrate the potential for positive impact
Align with one or more of the NHS’s three shifts:
From hospital to community
From analogue to digital
From sickness to prevention
Successful applicants will take part in a dynamic programme of workshops, networking and mentoring between October and December, resulting in a competitive pitch with the chance to win valuable ongoing business support.
Applications will be open from 3 to 17 September 2025.
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