Launch of the Rosalind Franklin Appathon for Women in STEMM

We're excited to share the news with you that UCL has launched the Rosalind Franklin Appathon- a national app competition to empower and recognise women as leaders in STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths and Medicine).

Apply here before 4th January 2016 for a chance to win prizes from a panel of high profile judges, including Baroness Martha Lane Fox (Founder of lastminute.com), Andrew Eland (Director of Social Impact Engineering, Google) and Professor Dame Athene Donald (Professor of Experimental Physics at the University of Cambridge), and funding towards app development through the UCL Mobile Academy.

Empowering women to become leaders in STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths and Medicine) is not just the right thing to do, it's the smart thing to do and will make the UK more creative, competitive and prosperous. But cultural and institutional barriers mean women are all too often under represented at the highest levels despite no apparent shortage of talent.

They are inviting teams and individuals from all backgrounds to take advantage of the digital revolution to reach out to a global audience through apps, empower and recognise a new generation of women leaders and change public perceptions of women in the digital space.

The competition has two different challenges:

Challenge 1: To develop new mobile phone apps to empower women in STEMM. The competition is open to both women and men. Whether you're a complete novice with a good idea, a wannabe coder or a seasoned app developer, they want to hear from you!

Challenge 2: To recognise leading women in STEMM who have pioneered new apps for research, societal good and enterprise. Help them identify and support the female role models who are making a difference by submitting a 200-word nomination statement.

The winning apps will be awarded tech-goodies plus a fully-subsidised place in The Mobile Academy in 2016, where you will learn everything you need to know about progressing your digital ideas. The priceless prize will be the strong networks forged by this event and the impact of the apps themselves. By changing cultural stereotypes and raising the aspirations of women to become leaders they hope to create a better and more equitable society for future generations - a fitting memorial to Rosalind Franklin.

• Apply now!

This national app competition is funded by the Royal Society Rosalind Franklin Award, won by UCL's Professor Rachel McKendry, and organised by UCL, EPSRC i-sense, UCL Enterprise and the London Centre for Nanotechnology.

Related links

• Rosalind Franklin Appathon
• Rachel McKendry's Rosalind Franklin Lecture
• i-sense, EPSRC IRC
• UCL Enterprise
• London Centre for Nanotechnology