The federal government has established a Women in STEM and Entrepreneurship grants system to tackle the woeful participation of women in university science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields.
Women make up 36 per cent of enrolments in university STEM courses, and comprise only 27 per cent of the workforce across all STEM industries, depriving the sector of much needed talent.
And, according to the government as entrepreneurs and founders, women face substantial barriers to success, including a lack of access to funding for their start-ups, minimal information to support growth and few supportive networks to lift them up. It’s not surprising that only 23 per cent of senior management and 8 per cent of CEOs in STEM-qualified industries are women.
In the latest round of STEM grant funding, the University of Wollongong (UOW) was successful in securing $997,891 for…
