Promoting Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in University Spinout Companies - A case for Action

领导衍生公司的女性研究人员太少。在从研究到衍生企业领导的创业道路上，女性研究人员在所有职业阶段的进展一直没有得到足够的关注。虽然人们很清楚女性研究职业发展面临的挑战，但STEM社区和高等教育（HE）部门作为一个整体，对女性创业职业发展途径的了解并不多。研究表明，大学衍生公司的创始人和联合创始人主要是男性。例如，企业研究中心（Enterprise Research Centre）（2014年）对350家活跃的英国分拆企业样本进行的调查发现，女性是主要创始人的案例仅占8.3%。女性创始人数量过低的现象并不局限于英国的衍生企业。爱思唯尔（2017）对美国、欧盟、加拿大和澳大利亚进行的比较研究表明，尽管全球专利申请中列出的发明人中女性的比例从1996年至2000年的11%增加到2011年至2015年的14%，但在所有纳入研究的国家中，女性的代表性仍然明显不足。鼓励和理解女性参与衍生企业对英国新工业战略具有战略重要性，该战略旨在增加对科学、研究和创新的投资，并支持新企业和增长。因此，有一个令人信服的理由来更好地理解在衍生过程和创业活动的关键阶段对女性科学家、工程师和数学家存在的障碍和有利因素，以使研究和创新商业化。该项目的愿景是实现机构能力的逐步变化，以增加STEM学科的女性研究人员在大学衍生产品中的参与，并将性别主流化到推动创新的生态系统中。我们的项目旨在逐步改变机构能力，通过制定一系列干预措施，培养女性科学家、工程师和数学家的创新和创业技能，将她们的发明转化为衍生公司，从而提高她们在衍生企业中的参与度。该项目将持续24个月，分为两个阶段。第一阶段将集中研究了解女性在衍生产品中代表性不足的原因，以及个人对创新的自我认知，借鉴现有方法。该项目的第二阶段将为各机构制定切实可行的解决方案，为从研究到衍生产品的妇女创造包容性的机会，并克服障碍。我们的研究成果和最佳实践将与EPSRC和更广泛的机构、行业、部门和个人分享。适应和提供创业领导力发展将使妇女能够发起和领导衍生产品，培养女科学家、工程师和数学家的创新、创业抱负、信心和能力。我们的研究结果将受到榜样、职业故事和与成功的女性分拆ceo和董事会成员的指导安排的启发。

Too few women researchers are leading spinout companies. There has not been enough attention focused on the progression of women researchers at all career stages on the entrepreneurial pathway from research to spinout leadership. Whilst challenges relating to women's research career progression are well understood, the STEM community and the Higher Education (HE) sector as a whole are not as well informed about women entrepreneurial career progression pathways to spinout. Research shows that founders and co-founders of university spinout companies are predominantly men. For example, the Enterprise Research Centre (2014) survey of a sample of 350 active UK spinouts found that women were the main founders in only 8.3% of cases. The disproportionately low numbers of women founders are not limited to UK spinouts. Research carried out by Elsevier (2017) comparing the United States, the European Union, Canada and Australia, shows that although there has been an increase in the global share of women among inventors listed in patent applications from 11% (between 1996-2000) to 14% (between 2011-2015), they remain significantly under-represented among all the countries included in the study. Encouraging and understanding women's engagement in spinout companies is of strategic importance to the UK's new Industrial Strategy which aims to increase investment in science, research and innovation and to support new businesses and growth. Therefore, there is a compelling case for better understanding barriers as well as enabling factors that exists for women scientists, engineers and mathematician in key stages of the spinout process and entrepreneurial activities to commercialise research and innovation. This project vision is to achieve a step change in institutional capabilities to increase the participation of women researchers in STEM disciplines in university spinouts and to mainstream gender in the ecosystem which drives innovation. Our project aims to achieve a step change in institutional capabilities to increase the participation of women scientists, engineers and mathematicians in spinouts through the development of a series of interventions to build their innovative and entrepreneurial skills designed to translate their inventions into spinout companies. The project will last 24 months and be articulated into two stages. Stage one will focus on research to understand the causes of women's under-representation in spinouts, and individuals' self-perception of innovation, drawing from existing methods. The second stage of the project will develop practical solutions for institutions to create inclusive opportunities and overcome the barriers for women who take the journey from research to spinout. Findings from our research and best practice will be shared with EPSRC and the wider community at institutional, sector, department and individual levels. Adaption and delivery of entrepreneurial leadership development will enable women to initiate and lead spinouts, grow innovation, entrepreneurial ambitions, confidence and competencies in women scientists engineers and mathematicians. Our findings will be inspired by role models, career stories and mentoring arrangements with successful women spinout CEOs and Board members.