Women are underrepresented in STEM university courses and occupations compared to men. Progress has been made in the Netherlands and the UK towards increasing women’s participation in technical education and business, through efforts focused on closing the gender gap and increasing diversity. For example, the Irene Curie Fellowship by the Technical University of Eindhoven in the Netherlands was established to attract talented female scientists. In the UK, an All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Diversity and inclusion in STEM was set up, and initiatives like Women in STEM are working to breaking stereotypes.

On the occasion of International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we want to direct the spotlight on Embassy colleagues who work closely with sectors and organisations in the fields of STEM – from the educational institutions to businesses.

Could you tell us a bit about your background and your day-to-day work?

Marjolein Bouwers (Chief Innovation Advisor): "With an MA in Science & Technology Studies from Maastricht University, I have a keen interest in the development, dissemination and adoption of emerging technologies in a wider geopolitical context."

Lara Neervoort (Innovation Advisor): "I have a strong interest in how emerging technologies and Big Tech firms impact our society and how to tackle climate change through sustainable innovation. I completed the MSc Digital Business at the University of Amsterdam and the MSc Psychology of Economic Life at the London School of Economics"

Lara van Voorst Vader (Education & Science Attaché):  “I studied Molecular Life Sciences at Wageningen University, and spent a year as a researcher in Molecular Cytology. My interests then turned towards working on the policy side of Research and Science for the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, before taking my position here London."

What are the objectives of the Netherlands Innovation Network?

"At the Dutch Embassy in the UK, the Netherlands Innovation Network aims to stimulate bilateral collaboration between Dutch and British companies, research institutes and public authorities in the field of innovation, technology and science. We are well connected to the Dutch and UK ecosystems for emerging technologies and are always looking to get in touch with new relevant players to actively broker collaboration. The UK and the Netherlands have complementary strengths when it comes to innovation. We organise targeted visits, e.g. in the field of Quantum, AI and hydrogen to connect Dutch and British stakeholders with potential innovation partners. Another important aspect of our work is to keep demonstrating the importance of the UK as a strategic innovation partner for the Netherlands at large and facilitate policy exchanges."

"Please follow our LinkedIn page Netherlands Innovation Network UK to receive weekly updates of the developments in the UK innovation landscape, events we are organising, and to contact us to discuss opportunities for collaboration."

What does an Education & Science Attaché do at the Embassy?

"Over the last two years, we have seen a lot of changes in the field of education and science, both for the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. The Covid-19 pandemic many presented challenges for educational institutions, and after the departure of the United Kingdom from the EU, student mobility, as well as exchange between researchers and scientists, has become more complex."

"As Education & Science Attaché, I work to strengthen the relationship between the UK and the Netherlands in education and research, between students, teachers, and institutions in policy areas such as student and researcher mobility, science and research infrastructure, and recognition for research careers. How? Through increasing visibility, exchanges, and sustainable collaboration, and by stimulating and facilitating partnerships between educational and research institutions from both countries. A great example of such a partnership is the York-Maastricht Partnership. "

"I can be contacted via LON@minbuza.nl for any questions relate to these matters."

What excites you about your job(s)?

Marjolein and Lara: "We are dealing with technologies such as AI, Photonics, CCUS and hydrogen that find themselves in stages of development and in some cases (early) adoption. In the case of Quantum, the challenge is even more about finding use cases and application areas. It is really exciting to be part of technologies that are being shaped and simultaneously shaping society. Not only do we look at technology development, but also at the wider regulatory changes, ethics and geopolitical impact. Here the importance of gender equality and diversity comes to light."

Laura: Part of my role is also to inform Dutch researchers, institutions, and their UK partner institutions on the changes, and how they might work around challenges apparent after Brexit…and still to inspire each other on joint interest and to stimulate both countries to invest in our future relationship.In a post-Brexit era, UK knowledge institutions remain important scientific partners for their Dutch counterparts. Because of my unique position, I can act as a broker to encourage and facilitate knowledge exchange between both the Netherlands and the UK: between our two governments and their educational and scientific institutions and organizations. There is a lot of work to do, and I am excited to be doing it!"

Any thoughts on gender imbalance within the STEM subjects both in education and work?

We are mindful of actively inviting women on our panels and as speakers for events and we use our platform to share concrete initiatives we think can promote gender diversity in the technology & innovation sector. Quantum Delta NL, the Dutch organisation responsible for creating a thriving quantum ecosystem in the Netherlands, has introduced a quantum childcare pilot programme that enables women working in the Netherlands to find childcare solutions so they can attend quantum-related events. In the UK, the British Office for AI announced a funding of £23 million for AI & data science scholarships for underrepresented groups such as women, people of color and people with disabilities. Also UK universities are putting in place schemes to empower women to become STEM leaders. We feel that these kind of initiatives can make a difference."

Challenges Persist

Despite worldwide developments in recent years, challenges persist. The impacts of compounding crises as rising cost of living, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the climate emergency and large-scale conflict and displacement, are stalling  progress towards gender equality from education to income to political representation (WEF Report).

And although the numbers of women and girls taking STEM courses are slowly - if unevenly -  increasing, this is not necessarily translating into equivalent developments in the workplace, where in 2020 women constituted just 12% of professionals in cloud computing, 15% in engineering, and 26% in data and AI.

This can have a broader negative impact, as girls are left out from the economic opportunities that increasingly digitised economies generate. Furthermore, lack of diversity amongst designers and developers of key technologies and innovations have led to algorithms that discriminate against women job-seekers or medical science underestimating differences in women’s and men’s responsiveness to medical treatment.