LEVERKUSEN, Germany and VIENNA, July 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Bayer Foundation Women Entrepreneurs Award, powered by the Impact Hub Network, honours 15 women from Latin America, Africa, and Asia addressing critical challenges in global healthcare and food security.
Selected from 1,172 applicants across 124 countries, this year's winners are advancing innovations from digital health diagnostics and AI-powered health monitoring wearables to climate-resilient farming and circular food technologies— all designed for communities underserved by today's markets. The 15 winners represent Brazil, Colombia, Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania, Morocco, Indonesia, India, and Bhutan. Learn more about 2026 winners here: bayerfoundation-wea.com/2026
"These 15 women are already building solutions for better healthcare and food systems. Our role is to accelerate their journey to scale — connecting them to the capital, networks, and support they need to grow their impact faster."
- Chitkala Kalidas, Executive Director, Bayer Foundation
What's next for the 2026 cohort
This year's programme equips each winner with a €25,000 cash prize and a six-month accelerator focused on investor readiness — strengthening business fundamentals, sharpening impact metrics, and preparing for high-stakes investor moments. The goal: fund innovators and open doors to enterprise growth and global impact.
The cost of leaving women out
Women entrepreneurs are building solutions the world needs. Yet in 2024, they received just 2.3% of global venture capital. In MENA, just 1.2% in 2021 while in Asia, 2.4% in 2024. Bayer Foundation's own research found gender-based barriers to be the applicants' single biggest obstacle.
The economic cost is staggering: a BCG report found that equal investment in male- and female-founded enterprises could lift global GDP by 3–6%, adding $2.5–5 trillion to the world economy.
What happens when women entrepreneurs get funded?
Since 2021, the Award has given women-led health and food-security enterprises non-dilutive funding, network access, and a structured pathway to investor readiness — delivered with the Impact Hub Network, whose 130+ locations worldwide scout locally-rooted entrepreneurial solutions and provide mentorship that capital alone can't buy.
The results from the 2024 and 2025 winner cohorts make the case: the 30 women funded reached 5.4 million people with better healthcare, sequestered 6.2 million tonnes of CO₂, and generated $8.2 million additional income into rural communities.
Those are the numbers that result when the right support reaches the right founders.
About Bayer Foundation
Bayer Foundation advances social innovation and science to achieve Health for All and Hunger for None. It supports impact entrepreneurs and scientists in health and food security, especially in low- and middle-income countries.
www.bayer-foundation.com
About Impact Hub Network
Impact Hub is a global network in 130+ locations, empowering 500,000+ Impact Makers to build inclusive and sustainable businesses for people and the planet.
www.impacthub.net
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Bayer Foundation Women Entrepreneurs Award: From AI Diagnostics to Circular Food Tech, 15 Women Are Transforming Health and Food Systems Worldwide
PAKA, Malaysia, July 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Sungrow, the globally leading PV inverter and energy storage system provider, announced the official commissioning of the Santong Battery Energy Storage System (BESS), owned and developed by Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB), marking another major milestone for Malaysia in advancing battery energy storage system connected to the national grid.
Located in Terengganu, the 100MW / 400MWh Santong BESS project plays a critical role in Malaysia's energy transition journey, reinforcing national grid resilience while enabling broader renewable energy integration. Designed to meet stringent grid performance requirements, the project targets 88% round-trip efficiency (RTE) in its first year of operation and supports both grid-following and grid-forming operating modes to enhance system stability and reliability.
For this landmark deployment, Sungrow delivered a fully integrated energy storage solution comprising 90 units of PowerTitan 2.0 liquid-cooled energy storage systems (ST5015UX-4H + MVS5140-LS) together with the FEMS (Facility Energy Management System), enabling intelligent dispatch and flexible grid support capabilities.
At the core of the project are multiple advanced grid-support functions that strengthen operational flexibility and enable higher renewable penetration, including:
- Fast active power ramping and Fast Frequency Response (FFR) for frequency support dynamic grid balancing.
- Voltage and reactive power control for voltage regulation and improved power quality.
- Grid-forming capabilities, characterized by voltage-source behavior and autonomous voltage/frequency support, enabling inertial response, power oscillation damping, on/off-grid operation, and microgrid applications.
- Station-level black start capability, enabling Sungrow's grid-forming PCS to establish a stable AC network under complete blackout conditions without an external voltage or frequency reference, while demonstrating coordinated multi-converter operation, balanced power sharing, and stable system restoration.
Delivered under an accelerated execution schedule toward commercial operation date, the project also demonstrates Sungrow's strong execution efficiency and collaborative delivery capability:
- Supported by Sungrow's local service team, headquarters project delivery team, and grid-forming/microgrid R&D team, ensuring efficient execution from customized FAT testing to commissioning and grid connection.
- Contribution to Malaysia's early grid-forming standard framework development, while achieving one of the fastest BESS grid-connection timelines in the country.
- Maintained close alignment with TNB, the project owner, on project objectives, execution, and delivery throughout the project lifecycle.
The project achieved the fastest BESS delivery record in Malaysia to date and became the country's first grid-forming grid-connected battery energy storage system project. Leveraging proactive local service support and end-to-end project execution, Sungrow successfully facilitated the 100MW full-power discharge test and secured recognition from Malaysia's Energy Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, demonstrating its strong service, delivery, and customer support capabilities.
"Santong BESS marks an important milestone in strengthening Malaysia's power system and advancing renewable energy integration," said TNB Chairman Tan Sri Abdul Razak Abdul Majid. "Its rapid response capability enhances grid reliability and supports electricity demand equivalent to approximately 40,000 households across the East Coast."
As energy systems continue to evolve toward greater flexibility and decarbonization, Sungrow remains committed to delivering innovative storage solutions that empower utilities and grid operators to build a cleaner and more resilient energy future.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB).
Media contact:
Wang Luly
luly.wang@sungrow-hq.com
15618330862
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Sungrow Powers Malaysia's Grid-Connected BESS to Strengthen National Power Grid Resilience
