Two trailblazing female entrepreneurs from the north have each been awarded a £75,000 grant after being named winners of the Innovate UK Women in Innovation Award.
Ballycastle founder Bridgeen Callan of KLAS Therapeutics, has been recognised for developing a low-cost, non-invasive treatment for aggressive skin cancer, while Róisín Hyde from Belfast, founder of NoMAD, has been rewarded for her work revolutionising sustainable construction.
The pair have been included on a list of 50 female entrepreneurs who were drawn from 1,452 applications, and each awarded with a £75,000 grant.
The winners will also receive one-to-one business coaching, and a suite of networking, role modelling, and training opportunities.
Funded by the UK Government, Innovate UK’s judges were impressed by Róisín Hyde’s 3D-printed concrete components, made from local waste materials, cut both resource use and emissions.
They also praised Bridgeen Callan’s KLAS Therapeutics for unlocking photodynamic therapy for metastatic melanoma, offering hope for patients with what is considered to be the most serious type of skin cancer and the fifth most common cancer in the UK.
“Witnessing the devastating impact of melanoma on patients and their families has been a driving force behind our work,” said the Co Antrim entrepreneur.
“Our photodynamic therapy offers a breakthrough in treating metastatic melanoma non-invasively.
“Receiving an Innovate UK Women in Innovation Award will help us advance our mission and provide hope for the future of patients with melanoma and other types of cancer.”
