26 - 27 September 2012, Warsaw, Poland
It is now possible to register to this two days event which will offer a networking platform to build quality partnerships for participating in the new ICT Work Programme for 2013. Presentation of project ideas, first-hand information from European Commission officials, guidance on how to submit a successful proposal and much more will be provided during the event. The on-line networking features, now available on the event's website, allow participants to log on to the website, create their profiles, find out about WP objectives with the possibility to leave comments, submit or browse presentations, find out about project ideas and start networking with other proposers.

A new fundraising campaign has been launched by three women in the US in order to provide mentorship to women in technology who may lack guidance into breaking into or returning to solid, self-supporting programming careers. The LadyCoders initiative has been unveiled by senior web developers and chief software architects Liz Dahlstrom, Lorraine Sawickin and Tarah Wheeler Van Vlack. As part of the campaign, they will be creating a seminar to teach interview skills and mentor skilled female software and web developers. To ensure women in technology around the globe can benefit from this seminar, the creators will film and edit it into a DVD for those who cannot attend. The LadyCoders website will also stream a 20-video series of highlights of the seminar.

Sheffield Hallam University has been highlighted for its work in promoting women in technology and science after winning an award. The university ensures all interview panels have an equal number of men and women among other initiatives, therefore helping to boost the role of women. And after winning the Athena SWAN award for providing help to female students and academics, it hopes to provide an even greater service in the future.

The question ''where are the women in tech'' could be the unofficial drumbeat of women's business journalism, particularly over the past twelve months. At the world Economic Forum in Davos, a party co-hosted by ForbesWoman and Ernst & Young brought together 20 2011 Power Women and still business media bemoaned the gender inequity of the conference. At March's South By SouthWest, more than a dozen panel discussions were devoted to the subject -and several women-only events were held throughout Austin. A Google News search of the past 12 months returns 81 million headlines.

There has long been a gender pay gap between men and women working in a range of industries, including finance and technology. Now, women working in technology jobs can find out all they need to know about what the gender pay gap is and why it is a problem that needs to addressed as well as advice on equal wages in one place. The free internet resource called Equal Pay Portal has been launched by Shelia Wild, a widely-respected expert on equal pay and former lead on this issue at the Equality and Human Rights Commission and the Equal Opportunities Commission. She launched the website to provide easy access to the wide range of material that is available about equal pay, such as statistics, codes of practice and advice for female workers, which can be hard to find.

Last month Yahoo appointed a self-styled "super geek" as its chief executive. Nothing unusual there - except this one was a woman and a pregnant one to boot. While female tech bosses like Marissa Mayer aren't quite as rare as hen's teeth, her appointment generated far more headlines than a man's would have. So why when technology is becoming increasingly desirable, is there little desire to work in IT, especially for girls?

There is a severe lack of women working in technology jobs, whether it's senior or junior roles. One of the main reasons for this is the misconception that IT is 'geeky' and just for men. However, Mandy Chessell, master inventor at IBM, says she missed the memo that said only boys could study maths and science. Now working at the IT firm's Hursley laboratory and winner of the Cisco Women in Technology award, she told BBC News that more females are needed in senior IT roles.

Even though Karen Purcell excelled in math and science in high school, nobody ever talked to her about a career in the STEM fields. Finally, in her senior year, when she was frantically trying to decide on a college and course of study, her physics teacher commented that she should consider engineering. Lack of exposure was the first hurdle that Karen would face on her path to success as an engineer and entrepreneur, but it certainly wouldn’t be the last. Tackling an important social issue from a personal perspective, Karen describes the trajectory of her own career in engineering, including the struggles she endured. Through her story and stories from women in other fields, she explores the hurdles women in the male-dominated STEM world must overcome and offers pragmatic strategies for moving beyond them. From gaining exposure to occupations early in life to earning the respect of male colleagues to balancing a personal life with career pressures, Karen will empower you to realize your full talents. Part inspiration, part strategic career advice, Unlocking Your Brilliance can help you pursue your passions and leverage your talents to create the professional and personal life you want.

A new online platform, designed to connect investors and entrepreneurs in the UK, US and India, launched this week in a move that its founders hope will galvenise the start-up scene. Host of Ideas is the brainchild of Will Andrews and Georgie Weedon and aims to link the talent and investment potential these countries have to offer. Furthermore, the Female Founders Challenge has also been launched to celebrate the role women play in founding companies. A £5,000 top prize is on offer for the firm with the best business case, with the closing date for applications on August 30th.

A call for tender for a large study on Social Innovation in Digital Agenda has been published. It focuses on the social innovation enabled by the network effect and by new models for co-production and sharing of content. By involving entrepreneurs, academics, students, geeks, NGOs and volunteers, it aims at identifying actors and initiatives in the different fields (such as energy or democracy), analyzing and comparing their approaches and mobilizing them through public activities. It also aims at comparing strategies for innovation in EU research programmes and at providing the Commission with recommendations on research, strategy and policy aspects for Social Innovation in relation to the DAE and to Horizon 2020. Deadline: 10 August 2012