If you are a woman doing business, or want to support women entrepreneurs, then there are a growing number of programmes that can help. The Women in Innovation Awards is one that is currently open for applications.

The Women in Innovation Awards is a government-backed funding competition from Innovate UK. It aims to find women with exciting, innovative ideas and ambitious plans that will inspire others.

The competition will give up to 50 grants of £50,000 – along with bespoke business support, coaching and mentoring – to women entrepreneurs. To be eligible, you must be a woman founder, co-founder or senior decision maker within a UK registered SME that has been operating for at least a year. Your proposal must identify clearly evidenced societal, environmental or economic challenges, and explain how your project and innovation can help solve them.

You can find more information, and start your application, on the official website. There is also an FAQ on the Innovate UK website, and an online Q&A event at 10am on Tuesday 11 October. You can also view the recording of a previous Q&A session on YouTube.

The deadline for applications is 11am on Wednesday 19 October.

Don’t forget that Think Sandwell also has a page of resources and information to help support women in business.