Dolores Sanders, Strategic Director and co-founder of Northampton-based Total Control Pro, has been named one of just nine women across the United Kingdom to receive the prestigious Innovate UK Women in Innovation Award for 2019. The announcement, made on International Women’s Day by Business Secretary Greg Clark, recognises female entrepreneurs tackling some of society’s biggest challenges through innovative technology. LINK TO ARTICLE

Sanders was recognised for her pioneering work in developing cloud-based technology that uses big data-sharing to streamline small businesses’ manufacturing processes. Her innovation helps SME manufacturers digitise their operations, providing real-time visibility of production and enabling significant productivity improvements.

As part of the award, Sanders will receive £50,000 in funding alongside a year-long package of bespoke support, coaching and mentoring. This investment will enable Total Control Pro to further develop its manufacturing technology platform and introduce artificial intelligence capabilities for benchmarking best practices across the sector.

Government Backing for Innovation

“I would like to congratulate all these women on developing inspiring and pioneering innovations to tackle the grand challenges we face as a society. This is our modern Industrial Strategy in action, backing the innovators and businesses of all sizes across the UK to grow, and develop the products, industries and sectors of tomorrow.”

— The Rt Hon Greg Clark, Business Secretary

Driving Diversity in Innovation

The Women in Innovation campaign was launched by Innovate UK in 2016 after research revealed that only one in seven funding applications came from women. Since then, registrations from female innovators have increased by 70 per cent. Research suggests that if female entrepreneurial participation matched male levels, women-led SMEs could contribute an additional £180 billion to the UK economy by 2025.

Dr Ian Campbell, Interim Chief Executive of Innovate UK, said the awards address a key barrier for diversity in innovation, namely the lack of female role models. To further inspire future generations, Innovate UK has installed commemorative purple plaques at locations significant to each winner’s innovation journey.

Inspiring the Next Generation

As part of the award recognition, a commemorative plaque has been installed at Oakham School, a place close to Sanders’ heart, to inspire young innovators and communities. The school noted that all good educational institutions focus not simply on teaching the knowledge of the time, but on the process of learning itself, equipping students with the confidence and abilities to ask and answer questions for themselves.

Sanders joins an impressive cohort of 2019 winners whose innovations span healthcare, sustainability and technology. Fellow award recipients include inventors of responsive wheelchair seating, plastic-free coffee cup coatings, digital diabetes management tools and virtual reality design software.