International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, Invitalia turns orange

On 24 and 25 November, on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, Invitalia is tinged with orange: the Agency illuminates the façade of the headquarters in Via Calabria in Rome, with the symbolic colour of the fight against gender-based violence.  

The Agency has established numerous initiatives to promote women’s work, equal pay, women’s representation in high value chains, the presence of women in STEM fields and, above all, the development of women’s entrepreneurship, also identified as an important tool for creating value for the person, autonomy and economic independence: in 2023 alone, Invitalia contributed to the creation of 4,200 new businesses, of which about 40% are made up of women entrepreneurs.  

In particular, through the “Women’s Entrepreneurship” programme, promoted by MIMIT and managed by Invitalia, the Agency contributes to disseminating business culture, strengthening the skills and presence of women in the most innovative sectors and reducing the gender gap in STEM subjects, with communication, training and accompaniment actions.  

Thanks to the Programme, 10-degree awards and 5 scholarships have been established in memory of Giulia Cecchettin, for biomedical engineering students at the University of Padua: an initiative aimed more generally at supporting young women in choosing courses of study in scientific and technological subjects, to increase their participation in the world of work in these areas and reduce the gap in terms of pay and career.  

Among the other activities related to the “Women’s Entrepreneurship” Programme:  

• the Cod(H)er project, in partnership with Generation Italy, which aims at training and accompanying 50 young women, NEETs, unemployed or not yet employed between 18 and 29 years old, to work in the regions of Southern Italy, preparing them for the digital and technological professions most in demand by companies. Through online training courses, the project offers the participants the opportunity of starting their professional careers in the digital sector as Data Engineers and Java Developers
   
• the LiFE acceleration course, in partnership with the Emblema Foundation, dedicated to innovative start-ups that develop or want to develop high-tech solutions, with a team made up of at least 50% women of any age and nationality  

Invitalia - which in 2024 eliminated the Gender Pay Gap, two years ahead of the Strategic Sustainability Plan - was just recently awarded by the University of Pavia, ranking first in the Diversity & Inclusion category, as part of the Sustainability Report Award.