Game-changing bra design positions UK as a global leader in health innovation with a solution to a problem affecting 90% of women

该项目由一位在创新方面拥有丰富经验的获奖女性和性别平等的倡导者领导，旨在将一种革命性的新型胸罩推向市场，以满足全球数百万患有乳房不对称的女性的需求。这一创新理念、雄心勃勃的商业战略和天才榜样的成功组合，有可能增加英国的就业机会和经济增长，并使英国成为这一被忽视的健康领域的全球市场领导者。乳房不对称，即乳房形状和大小的明显差异，据说影响了高达90%的女性。多项研究表明，这可能对女性的自尊、心理健康、身体舒适度和生活质量产生破坏性影响，研究人员一再强调，这不仅仅是一个美容问题。尽管如此，非肿瘤性乳房不对称的乳房再造并没有得到NHS的常规资助（维多利亚女王医院，2017），数百万女性不得不自己寻找和资助解决方案。乳腺癌组织最近的一份新闻稿报告说，自大流行以来，肿瘤乳房再造手术也被取消或严重推迟。目前，唯一真实的解决方案要么是昂贵的私人资助手术，要么是不可调节且基本无效的乳房假体，再加上设计拙劣的口袋布拉斯。在女性可支配收入较少的时代，女性因疫情而失业的可能性是男性的两倍多（埃克塞特大学，2020年），这种负担得起的创新胸罩为女性提供了一种可行且有效的替代方案。这种文胸的特点是罩杯体积可以自动调节，可以舒适有效地支撑穿着者较小的乳房，创造对称的外观，减轻全球数百万女性所经历的严重心理困扰和身体不适。该公司已经进行了大量的研发，部分资金来自ERDF，有了这个奖项的支持，申请人将能够成功推出产品，并最终达到那些迫切需要它的女性。女性创始人，她最近被BIMA100评为数字和技术领域最具影响力的人物之一，是一个鼓舞人心的榜样，有了这个奖项提供的平台，将能够鼓励更多的英国女性参与创新，工程和企业家精神使该项目对英国经济的积极成果呈指数级增长。

This project, led by an award-winning woman with considerable experience in innovation and a champion for gender-equality, seeks to bring to market a revolutionary new bra to meet the needs of millions of women worldwide suffering with breast asymmetry. The winning combination of the innovative idea, the ambitious business strategy and the talented role model at the helm, has the potential to increase UK jobs and economic growth and to position the UK as a global market leader in this neglected health sector.Breast asymmetry, where there is a noticeable difference in the shape and size of the breasts, is said to affect up to 90% of women. Multiple studies have shown the damaging effects this can have on a woman's self-esteem, mental health, physical comfort and quality of life and researchers repeatedly stress that this is more than just a cosmetic issue.Despite this, breast reconstruction for non-oncological breast asymmetry is not routinely funded by the NHS (Queen Victoria Hospital, 2017) and millions of women are left to find and fund their own solutions. A recent press release by Breast Cancer Now reports that since the pandemic oncological breast reconstruction surgeries are also being cancelled or severely delayed. Currently, the only real solution is either expensive privately-funded surgery or non-adjustable and largely ineffective breast prostheses with poorly designed pocketed bras.At a time when women have less disposable income, with women being more than twice as likely as men to have lost their job due to the pandemic (University of Exeter, 2020), this affordable innovative bra gives women a viable and effective alternative. The bra features self-adjustable cup volumes which can comfortably and effectively support the wearer's smaller breast, create a symmetrical appearance and alleviate the significant psychological distress and physical discomfort experienced by millions of women worldwide.A significant amount of R&D has already been undertaken by the business, part-funded by ERDF, and with the support of this award the applicant will be positioned to successfully launch the product and finally reach the women who sorely need it. The female founder, who was recently named as one of the most influential people in digital and tech by BIMA100, is an inspiring role model and with the platform afforded by this award will be able to encourage more British women into innovation, engineering and entrepreneurship compounding the positive outcomes of this project on the UK economy exponentially.