It was launched through the British Female Inventor and Innovator Network (BFFIN) awards ceremony, an annual event organised by GWIIN (Global Women Inventors and Innovators Network, www.gwiin.com), Portia's partner in the Equalitec project.

The Award proved to be hugely successful. In 2006, 40 per cent of nominations for the BFIIN award were in technology development or deployment area. In 2007, 40 per cent of all the winners were women who have advanced technology iteself or produced innovative technology-based solutions and novel applications.

Featured above is the British Female Inventor of the Year in 2007, Maire McLoon, from Belfast, who invented a new encryption and authentication method operating in real-time and much faster than most of the conventional methods used at the time. She was also the winner of the ITEC INNOVATION AWARD.

The ITEC INNOVATION AWARD aims to encourage and promote women's contributions to developing more effective digital technologies and deploying them to produce a positive social and cultural change.

For more information about the Award and the women who have won it so far please go to www.equalitec.org.uk