Innovatia 8.3 recognises in its 5th edition women-led projects driving scientific, technological, and social innovation

The Innovatia 8.3 Awards, promoted by the Institute of Women of the Ministry of Equality in collaboration with the Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, have held the award ceremony for their 5th edition, consolidating their position as a benchmark initiative in recognising women-led entrepreneurship based on science, technology, and social innovation.

The aim of these awards is to encourage innovative business initiatives led by women in the scientific and technological field and linked to the university environment. In this context, the awards highlight projects that arise from knowledge, research, and innovation, and that provide concrete solutions in areas such as health, biotechnology, and social impact.

The initiative forms part of the Innovatia 8.3 project, launched in 2011 to support and give visibility to women entrepreneurs with a scientific base within academic environments. The proposal, national in scope, is aimed at universities and research centres throughout Spain, with the purpose of helping to transform the scientific and technological entrepreneurial ecosystem by incorporating a gender perspective.

Three award-winning projects for their innovative capacity and impact

In this fifth edition, the Innovatia 8.3 Awards recognised three women-led business initiatives that stand out for their innovative contribution and their ability to respond to specific needs through specialised knowledge.

The Technology-Based Award went to Diversa Technologies S.L. for the development of a patented lipid nanoemulsion platform aimed at the encapsulation, transport, and controlled release of drugs, biomolecules, nucleic acids, and cosmetic active ingredients. The proposal places technology at the service of advanced applications in areas such as biomedicine and cosmetics, highlighting the potential of entrepreneurship arising from scientific research.

The Startup Award was granted to Nataly Life S.L., which developed an innovative postpartum pad capable of absorbing and quantifying blood loss in real time during the first 24 hours after childbirth. The solution addresses a specific need in the field of maternal health and reflects how innovation can help improve clinical monitoring and care at particularly sensitive moments in the healthcare process.

Meanwhile, the Social Impact Award went to Sentido Inverso Sociedad Cooperativa, an initiative proposing an intervention model aimed at bringing resources and support closer to people in vulnerable situations. In contrast to an approach based on waiting for people to reach the administration, the organisation deploys technical teams across the territory, combines critical social work with advanced immigration law expertise, and transforms field experience into knowledge applicable to consultancy, public policy, and impact assessment.

Innovation from the university with female leadership

The initiatives recognised in this edition reflect the diversity of fields in which women-led entrepreneurship can generate value from knowledge. From the development of highly specialised technological solutions to projects with a clear social dimension, the awards demonstrate the transformative capacity of proposals born in connection with research, science, and innovation.

This approach is especially relevant in a context in which knowledge transfer and the creation of innovative companies play a key role in economic and social transformation. In this sense, Innovatia 8.3 helps strengthen the visibility of women entrepreneurs in knowledge-intensive sectors, where their presence and recognition remain a priority.

A consolidated project to advance equality in entrepreneurship

Since its creation, Innovatia 8.3 has been established as a framework for supporting science- and technology-based entrepreneurship with a gender perspective. Through the collaboration between the Institute of Women and the Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, the initiative helps create opportunities for more women to transform knowledge and research into innovative projects with economic and social impact.

With this fifth edition, Innovatia 8.3 continues to strengthen a more diverse, inclusive, and society-connected entrepreneurial ecosystem.