What did you miss at MWC Barcelona? How can we achieve gender equity in tech?

What's been going on at Digital Catapult?

Earlier this month, Digital Catapult was in Barcelona for the Mobile World Congress 2023 ( MWC Barcelona - also known as the greatest telecoms show on earth). On International Women's Day, we sat down with our Board of Directors to find out how we can create an equitable digital future, and we got their advice for women interested in pursuing a career in technology.

Let's start with the largest and most influential connectivity event. The main highlights are from two different sessions, one about the #Metaverse and the other on #OpenRAN.

• Our CEO, Dr Jeremy Silver ,?was joined on stage by business leaders from 英国电信集团 , 英伟达 and 微软 to explore the emerging notion of an industrial Metaverse. From the session, it became clear that as individual Digital Twins begin to become established in particular sectors, for example, the built environment or in aerospace design, a linking digital fabric or open interoperable Metaverse will also start to emerge that could have the potential to enable powerful multiplier effects by connecting Twins together.

From metaverse to matterverse, how to do it right? You can find the answer and watch the session here.

• The other was with the Co-Director of our SONIC Labs programme, Dritan Kaleshi . This programme is unique as it increases understanding of how OpenRAN can help diversify the telecoms supply chain, and it also reduces barriers to entry for vendors to enter the UK telecoms market. MWC is a great vehicle to view the global market in a snapshot and the SONIC Labs programme, funded by the UK government's newly created Department of Science, Innovation and Technology, stood out as ahead globally in their specialised areas of expertise.?

The debate also stole some thunder. You can watch OpenRAN: The Debate here.

As March rolls by, Digital Catapult is also thinking about ways to create an equitable digital future. We are fortunate to work with some of the UK’s trailblazing women founders, technology experts, and business leaders. For International Women's Day, we decided to pick the brains of the Digital Catapult Board of Directors to hear how we can achieve better gender equity and better support women to pursue careers in the industry. Here are the key takeaways:

• ?? Take advantage of the many online learning opportunities that exist right now.?There has never been a better time to expand your knowledge for free (or almost), so spend time discovering, learning and working out where your passions lie. -?The Chair of Women on Boards UK - Rowena Ironside
• ? Be passionate about how technology can empower humans. Be inquisitive about how this can be achieved.?- UCL’s leading interactive design professional - Yvonne Rogers
• ?? Be curious. Be enthusiastic. Your evident enthusiasm, your energy and your excitement about what you do will be the rocket fuel of your career. Don’t suppress it or fritter it away. - Leader in responsible and ethical tech - Jessica Cecil
• ?? Enjoy it! The energy in the tech sector is fantastic. I’ve worked across many industries and found the tech sector unique in the speed of how it evolves and the pace of new achievements. There will be challenges, but the distance you will travel will astonish you, so every so often, look back and smile to see where you have come. Plus, bring others on the journey with you and directly try to help someone else’s career by creating opportunities.?-?Investment and strategy expert - Jill-Ridley Smith
• ?? Embrace your inner geek!?Collaboration is key in science and tech – so get into those hackathons. If you do what you do well, innovate and succeed, you will be recognised.?If it doesn’t work out, bring the learning from that experience to your next project or role.?-?Sustainability and technology specialist - Belinda Howell

Before you go, the world’s top creative and tech talent is once again descending on Austin, Texas to demonstrate and share new ideas about the future of the creative economy at SXSW 2023. Digital Catapult NI's Immersive Technology Lead Nigel McAlpine is there this year to lead discussions on Northern Ireland's creativity and tech excellence. So keep an eye out for more highlights from SXSW !

Interested in receiving updates on the digital future? Subscribe to the Digital. Catapult newsletter?here.