A campaign celebrating innovative women across the North has returned for its fourth year.

The Northern Health Science Alliance (NHSA) and the N8 Research Partnership have teamed up to launch #NorthInnovationWomen for 2021.

The social media campaign was first launched by the NHSA in 2018 to recognise women who are pushing the boundaries of innovation within their fields. Over the last three years, there have been hundreds of women included in the annual #NorthInnovationWomen list, which is published on March 8 to mark International Women’s Day.

Today, the NHSA and N8 Research Partnership are calling on Twitter users to share their suggestions of women making their mark in the world of innovation who they believe should be included in the 2021 list.

After a challenging year where innovation was front and centre in the response to and recovery from COVID-19, there is all the more reason to embrace the achievements we’ve seen in exceptional circumstances in the past 12 months.

There are many incredible women achieving great things and inspiring those around them across the North of England – and we want to hear about them!

The suggestions will be collated over the next four weeks with the final #NorthInnovationWomen 2021 list published on International Women’s Day (March 8).

There are no strict criteria or voting systems – #NorthInnovationWomen provides an informal and supportive platform to allow women to be acknowledged and celebrated by friends, family, colleagues or those who would just like to recognise excellence in another.

All we ask is that a few simple guidelines are followed when making suggestions for this year’s list.

To tell us about your #NorthInnovationWomen recommendations, you must follow the below steps on Twitter for your suggestion to be counted:

• Use the hashtag #NorthInnovationWomen
• tag/name the person you want to recommend
• list their name, role and institution (or as much information as you know/can fit into your tweet).

All suggestions must be made by Tuesday March 2, 2021. The full list will be published on the NHSA and N8 Research Partnership’s websites on International Women’s Day, on Monday March 8.

Professor Nicola Wilson, Deputy Chief Executive at the NHSA, said: “Encouraging and embracing equality, diversity and inclusivity is something the NHSA feels strongly about. We’re proud to support International Women’s Day by seeking out and celebrating women’s achievements through #NorthInnovationWomen.

“This year’s campaign feels particularly poignant as we continue to live through such extraordinary circumstances during the pandemic. Innovation has been in no short supply over the last year and we’ve witnessed individuals, organisations and communities step up to the challenge during these tough times.

“The breadth of female talent we have in the North, across all sectors, is vast. We’re excited to hear about these innovative women and to champion them as part of this year’s campaign. By lifting each other up and celebrating our successes, we can help inspire young women and future generations of innovators.”

Dr Annette Bramley, Director of the N8 Research Partnership, said: “We are delighted to partner with the NHSA again this year to help provide a platform for women in innovation to be celebrated and championed by their peers as female role models and leaders.

“This diversity of talent, and culture of interdisciplinary collaboration and support, are both factors that make the N8 and NHSA partnerships stronger, helping us to deliver research capabilities and programmes with incredible impact across the North, the UK and beyond.”

International Women’s Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women – while also marking a call to action for accelerating gender equality. The campaign theme for International Women’s Day 2021 is #ChooseToChallenge.

Read more about #IWD2021 and how to get involved at: www.internationalwomensday.com