There are really so many women in science
and technology that have inspired me over
the years, simple because they are tackling
the world's toughest problems. But really
what do we mean by technology? Technology
can be anything from discovering or developing
new textiles to developing bio-materials that
can transport certain drugs to tumour sites,
or developing a weather app that can help
farmers manage better their crops. So in recent
years actually there was one woman that has
inspired me in particular - her name is Debbie
Moore, she is the founder of Pineapple Dance
Studios, she is the first woman to have listed
her company on the London Stock Exchange.
She has worked and developed a new and very
versatile fabric for dancers, so literally
revolutionising the fashion in the dance studios.
I'm actually also a fan of Professor Mariana
Mazzucato. Through her research she has done
quite thorough but very accessible analysis
of technology in Silicon Valley - so we might
think that venture capitalism has driven that
kind of progress but actually radical innovation
is the type of innovation that only government
funding can promote and I think that European
countries and over countries around the world
can learn from that experience and from her
recommendations.
