The European Data Forum (EDF) is a key European event for industry professionals, business developers, researchers, and policy makers to discuss the challenges and opportunities of the European data economy and data-driven innovation in Europe. Likewise, the Big Data Value Association Summit (BDVA) has quickly grown into a renowned event for all stakeholders in the European data economy. This year EDF and BDVA join forces to bring you the European Big Data Value Forum that will be held in Versailles (Palais des Congres), France from 21st to 23rd November 2017.

New research shows that continuing professional development (CPD) can play a significant role in retaining science teachers and improving science education. Commissioned by Wellcome and carried out by Education Datalab, the research found that science teachers who participate in CPD through STEM Learning are much more likely to remain in teaching. One in 12 teachers who did not participate in STEM Learning CPD left teaching within two years. This drops to 1 in 30 for those who did, when other factors (such as age and gender) are taken into account, increasing the odds of remaining by 160%. STEM Learning provides high quality, subject-specific CPD for science teachers and technicians across the UK that already has proven impact on teachers and their students.

Wellcome has published a new report which explores the nature of primary science delivery across the UK. Commissioned by Wellcome and carried out by CFE Research with the University of Manchester, the report looks into science leaders, teachers and pupils' opinions of science. This report has been released prior to Wellcome's UK-wide primary science campaign, which is due to launch this term.

A new report outlining ten benchmarks to transform practical science education in England been published by the Gatsby Charitable Foundation. The Good Practical Science report details recommendations to help secondary schools achieve world-class science education. The benchmarks include recommendations for schools, policymakers, Ofsted and teacher trainers. Looking at more than 400 secondary schools in England to gauge the status of practical science, the report also involved visits to world-leading nations including Finland, Germany and Singapore to learn what was done differently internationally.

There is strong evidence that gender diversity in research leads to higher-impact research, fosters greater innovation, and results in enhanced business performance. It is thus important that gender disparity be addressed across sectors, by academic and corporate organizations, nonprofit and for-profit alike. The experts on this panel will offer insight into how organizations can position themselves as stewards of research to promote fairness and equity in scholarly recognition. With a focus on the practical, they will share how data can be used to assess gender gaps at the institutional and disciplinary level and to inform policies and implementation plans across all types of organizations.

In the tech industry, while jobs are in high demand and offer some of the highest salaries in the country, the wage gap is still apparent. And not just between men and women but among employees of different races, too. An attempt to equalize pay has reached the top of many companies' agendas, particularly with high-profile employers like Google addressing workplace parity and diversity. But while these initiatives have gained momentum, the wage gap has closed only slightly. The Institute For Women's Policy Research predicts women won't reach pay equity with men until 2059, and black women won't reach pay equity until 2124. Job-platform website Hired analyzed salary data of tech-industry workers, looking at how gender, race and sexual orientation impact pay and pay expectations. Read about the findings.

Beginning in 2013, a handful of tech companies (including Yelp, where some of us work, Google, LinkedIn, and Facebook) began to research and release data on the diversity of their workforces. The numbers were grim. For instance, in 2014 only 10% of Yelp's engineers were female. Seven percent of Yelp employees were Hispanic, and 4% were black. These figures were similar at other tech companies, most of which had fewer than 20% of their technical positions filled by women and had low representation of black and Hispanic employees. At Yelp and elsewhere, seeing these numbers was a wake-up call.

The Greater Washington, D.C. region has sprouted a bustling community of startups that have helped make our nation's capital become ''home of the ed-tech revolution.'' Within this emerging center of successful ed-tech startups is The Wealth Factory Inc. founded by Angel Rich, a woman who Forbes has slated to be the next Steve Jobs. Angel's company designs financial literacy and workforce development education technology games, with her app Credit Stacker receiving 200,000 downloads within just two weeks of its launch. Supported by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in 28 cities, the National Baptist Convention, the HBCU network and other government agencies, The Wealth Factory's mission is to reduce global poverty and create generational wealth through their games.

Only 8% of venture capital (VC) firms in the U.S. have female partners, and that lopsided gender composition may be hurting venture capital performance portfolios. The evidence suggests that having no female partners makes VC firms less likely to invest in female-founded or female-led firms. But what much of the VC world might not realize, is that female-led firms may have a higher rate of return on average than male-led firms. First Round Capital, for example, touts its success at funding more women entrepreneurs than the national average. According to First Round Capital's review of their own holdings, female founders' companies out-performed their male peers' by 63% in terms of creating value for investors. A study conducted by the Small Business Association determined that venture firms that invested in women-led businesses had more positive performances than firms that did not.

The White House announced a $200 million per year commitment to computer science education in America's schools. Unlike similar proposals in previous years, today's action delivers funding to schools, immediately. Besides expanding access to computer science in schools that previously didn't teach it, the funds promise to increase participation by women and underrepresented minorities. This funding will jumpstart efforts to ensure every student in every school has the opportunity to learn computer science as part of a well-rounded education. For advocates of increased access and diversity in CS, this is the culmination of years of momentum that began in classrooms, spread to entire school districts, and won the support of business leaders and elected officials globally.