10049704Bringing the textbook to lifeClosedGrant for R&DInnovate UKBritish inventions have changed the world, from the steam engine, to the World Wide Web. However there is currently a lack of diversity in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and the UK education curriculum does not support invention. In the UK, only 15% of scientists come from working-class backgrounds and in the last 15 years, only 7% of UK patents were filed by women. We need to demystify and diversify STEM. I'm Sara Berkai and I run Ambessa Play, a social enterprise working to demystify and diversify science. I recently completed an MSc in Child Development from the University of Oxford because I wanted to learn more about how kids learn science in particular. We design DIY educational kits for kids aged 9-15 and run free science workshops for 'pupil premium' children. Based on evidence of parent concerns of screen-use and the evidence we've conducted with over 150 parents, we designed screen-free DIY educational toys. Our innovation lies in our participatory design process, where children as our co-designers. We have since received feedback from schools that would like kits integrated into the curriculum for classroom use. I'm applying to the Women in Innovation because we want to test curriculum-fitted kits and move our designs from TRL 5 (technology readiness level) to TRL 7 in next 12 months. We have secured a £50k grant which covers the subcontracting portion of this project, where we'll be partnering with Britain's best design agency, Pentagram. As a first-time solo founder, the networking and mentorship would be indispensable. As a previous Young Innovator Innovate UK KTN 2020 winner, I know incredibly useful this can be. For example, thanks to Innovate UK, I was selected as part of the British Science Association's Smashing Stereotypes campaign this year. I have bootstrapped to date and this has been difficult running a hardware business. I've been rejected 200+ times by investors who deemed this 'too risky'. We want to move onto the next stage of our journey and test a participatory design with teachers and parents using our prototypes.