- The aim is to foster female digital entrepreneurship as a means of increasing women’s presence and leadership in a key sector for Catalonia’s future
- The initiative, launched by the Ministry for Digital Policy and Public Administration, is one element of the new Women in ICT Plan, which will be approved by the Executive Council in the coming weeks
The Government of Catalonia will open a line of grants aimed at supporting technology-based companies founded and led by women. The initiative was announced by the Minister for Digital Policy, Jordi Puigneró, at a conference on women in ICT, one of a series of events organised for the week of 8 March (International Women’s Day).
The goal is to support these companies in order to foster female digital entrepreneurship and increase women’s presence in Catalonia’s ICT sector.
Minister Puigneró said: “Over the last hundred years, women have overcome barriers in many areas. But if they’re left out of the ICT sector, women could be left out of the future, because today the technology sector is one that offers many opportunities.”
“Advanced digital technologies will determine how we live and work. And women can’t be left out when it comes to designing that future,” he said.
Women in ICT Plan
The €500,000 line of grants is one element of the new Women in ICT Plan, which was presented today by Digital Society Director Joana Barbany. The plan, which will be approved by the Executive Council in the coming weeks, aims to increase the presence and leadership of women in the digital sector.
The plan is structured around four strategic pillars:
- Inspire girls and make ICT appealing to them. This goal will be pursued through actions aimed at sparking girls’ interest in ICT, encouraging them to pursue careers in technology, and fostering female entrepreneurship from an early age.
- Empower women, support their access to ICT, and encourage female entrepreneurship.
- Change the current ratio of women to men in the technology field. A data observatory will be established to highlight the current situation and progress made in increasing women’s participation in the ICT sector. Steps will be taken to ensure that data is of good quality and that it is updated regularly.
The conference, which drew around 200 attendees, was attended by Anna Gener, chair and CEO of Savills Aguirre Newman Barcelona, and Lluís Soldevila, an expert in digital leadership and motivation.